Gregor and the Prophesy of Ragers
by The Knight of Thirteen
Summary: Set four years after Code of Claw. Gregor's family is living a normal life, until Gregor losses control for a moment. Gregor must return to Regalia to find not one prophesy, but three. Secrets are revealed and questions answered in suprising ways.
1. Meeting

**_Author's Note - So, it appears my story has become a lot more popular than i had ever imagined, which is both flattering, but kind of makes me feel bad since i am not putting as much of my time toward this as i had originally planned to. I had the first nine chapters or so planned out for nearly a year before i ever sat down at the keyboard, and part one came out pretty easily, especially with the help of my amazing beta reader AllyJackson. However, having finally reached the end of what i had planned out, I have lost most of my motivation, and my attention has been taken by other things. I still plan to finish this story! It just may take a while... I have the last chapter of the entire thing written. I know where i want to go, i just don't know how i want to get there that will take twenty seven full chapters. That being said, i promise, i will not abandon this story. If you happen to have suggestions that might move me in the right direction, feel free to PM me. Also, heartfelt thanks to the MANY people who have read, favorited, followed, and reviewed this story. As i said, i never planned for this many people to like it, much less to be the top in any catagory. I am honored._**

**_Disclaimer - I own nothing. Well... I own my socks, but that's about it. The Underland Chronicles belongs to Suzanne Collins, and if you haven't already, you should go read the Hunger Games Trilogy as well. If the fantastic authoress herself should ever stumble upon this, she is welcome to it. Any part or whole of this story is hers for the taking, cause i'd love to see a sixth book._**

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><p><strong>Part 1 – The Prophecy<strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 – Meeting<strong>

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><p>"<em>False tears bring pain to others. False smiles bring pain to ones self." - C.C.<em>

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><p>Four years.<p>

He hadn't fought in four years.

He knew how dangerous it was. He had been so careful. But in the end it hadn't mattered. And now here he stood. Holding a long steak knife and looking down at the unconscious individual at his feet as the principal and school security guard ran towards him across the parking lot shouting things he could not bring himself to listen to.

He had lost control. He could stop it from happening. He could call it up at will. But turning it off when he wanted still eluded him.

What will his parents think? He had tried so hard just for them. After his dad got his old job back, things began to get better. For his family at least. They had gotten him back into school.

He had to wear long sleeves and long pants for a few months, but it had been fall, so no one really noticed except Larry and Angelina. He had been trying to hang out with them to take his mind off things, but they only reminded him of the friends he had lost.

They only commented on him wearing odd clothing a few times when they all slept over at his house and he always kept his arms and legs covered. But they didn't push it. They were good friends, really. But he never reconnected with them. They talked. They ate lunch together. They spent time together. But he no longer confided in them like he had before.

One day he stood looking at himself in the mirror, trying to figure out how he could possibly be the same person who had once upon a time enjoyed things like summer camp and video games. He looked at his arms and legs. "My scars are fading," he thought. His hand had brushed his chest then. "Most of my scars are fading." he corrected himself. Some scars were forever.

Larry and Angelina noticed some of his changes even before he did. Soon after they had started high school together, Larry said "Didn't you used to have brown eyes?" He had immediately gone to the bathroom. His eyes had changed. Not just in color, from a light brown to a bright green, but something deeper.

He had been worried about fighting. After all his absence and the countless lies his family had come up with to explain them, he had expected to be the target of a lot of bullying and teasing. But to his surprise, no one even brought it up. He asked Angelina what she thought about it.

"Do you want them to harass you? I thought you didn't like fighting."

"No, I just expected it. All the time I was gone. The people I hang out with, no offense. My dad being my teacher. I didn't really think I'd be able to avoid a fight for this long."

"They're afraid of you. I can understand why. Something about you just seems... dangerous. Ever since you got back. You should really pay more attention." With that she had walked to class, leaving him feeling very confused. He had started watching people then.

At first it was kind of amusing. The way even seniors who looked like they could snap him in half moved out of his path. The way bullies would abandon their targets if they were near him. But the amusement died when he saw one of his class mates, who he had known for many years, turn pale when they had accidentally bumped into each other in the hall.

Was he really so terrifying? He made another trip to the bathroom on that occasion, thinking he was spending more time in front of a mirror than before his third visit to that place.

He wore short sleeves again. His arms and legs had faint white lines, but no one would notice those from any comfortable distance. His dark hair was longer than he used to wear it. He had let it grow out some to hide some of the scars on his neck, and then decided he liked it better long. It distinguished himself from the person he really was. The person he couldn't be.

His hand rose to his chest as it always did when he thought about his scars. His eyes were still the same bright green. But the deeper change he had noticed before was even more pronounced. He simply stared at his reflection for what felt like hours. Why couldn't he place what the change was? His eyes still looked familiar.

Then something clicked. The fear people felt even from a glance. He remembered a pair of eyes he had looked into once that had told him as plain as day that the owner was dangerous. That is why his eyes looked familiar. They were the same now really. The pain and loss. The deadliness. Yes, he had the eyes he had only seen in one other creature.

As time passed and people got to know him again, their fear slowly faded and was replaced with respect. Similar to the immense electrical power flowing through your house's walls, you don't fear it. You merely respect it enough not to stick your tong in a socket.

It was now his sophomore year of high school. He was sixteen years old. Only a day ago he had been thinking how he may get a job this summer. How his life had come to resemble normal on the surface.

But now it didn't matter. There was nothing that could make this disaster go away. He would be expelled. He may even go to prison for this.

It hadn't been his fault really. The kid had attacked him. He may never know what had provoked the assault. It seemed random. Pointless.

He had won a small competition and got one hundred dollars as the prize. He was going to get his twelve year old sister a pet rat. He knew she would love it. He had seen the perfect gray rat in the pet shop when his six year old sister had dragged him in to look at the animals.

Larry had gotten a car for his birthday and had gotten his drivers permit several months ago. As soon as he was allowed, he started driving the three of them to school and stuff. He never made it to Larry's car. He would have had to wait for his friends anyway, but he figured he could just listen to the radio till then.

His attacker, a very large, very stupid junior had stepped out from behind a dumpster and punched him without warning. He had been caught off guard. He could have easily blocked or dodged it. But he was so determined not to fight that he didn't register self-defense as an option.

He fell to the ground on his back and glared up at the kid. The kid glared right back.

"Give me your money!" He was shocked. He was being mugged by a classmate for a hundred dollars?

"Why? I won it." He thought since fighting wasn't an option, maybe he could try reason. Nope.

The kid kicked him hard in the ribs. "Give it to me now! I'm not afraid of you like those other wimps. You aren't that big."

He clutched his bruised ribs and hoped none were broken. "Fine," He pulled out his wallet and took out the money. He offered it up to his attacker.

"Gimme the wallet too!"

"No." He couldn't. It had _her _picture in it.

"I said give it to me now!" He raised his leg for another kick. But his foot never made contact. One minute he was glaring down at that punk who had the money he wanted, then he was flat on his back with several aching spots across his body. He groaned as he saw the boy walk away. With HIS money in HIS hand! He got shakily to his feet.

If it had just been the money, he wouldn't have gone this far, but he couldn't let this punk get away with flooring him. He'd be kicked out of his gang. He'd be laughed at. No. He pulled a long steak knife from is back pack and ran at the kid.

This time he saw it. The boy spun faster than he would have thought possible. The first time around, his left foot caught the boy's raised foot, and his right hand snagged the wrist of the knife hand and pulled him forward in a fluid motion. The second turn brought his right foot to the loosened fist and launched the knife into the air, while his left hand came down across the back of the boy's neck, rendering him unconscious. He came to a stop as quickly as he had started and caught the knife easily.

Now here he was. Four years of not fighting. And now it was all for nothing.

Things went downhill after that. It turned out that under different circumstances, things may have ended well. The attacker turned out to be responsible for several gang related muggings. But the school had a strict zero tolerance policy on fighting, so he was expelled. He escaped arrest only because a security camera had proved he was the victim. Which had led to a lot of questions about how he had managed to turn the tables so drastically. He claimed it must have been luck and adrenaline.

His grandmother's health began to decline soon afterward. She had been moved to a nursing home soon after his dad got his job back. She was the only reason they weren't in Virginia right now. His mother had been adamant that they leave, but grandma couldn't travel, and she couldn't break up the family after all they had been through, so they stayed.

Now she was nearing the end. He visited her right after he was expelled and was surprised to find her in complete control of her thoughts.

"You know, you can't run away from your destiny. It will just come and find you."

"I know grandma. But I really thought I could control this. I've been getting better." He had. His twelve year old sister had forced him to practice. Not that he objected anymore. He had tried his hardest to prevent what had happened.

"Don't lose sight of the bigger picture. Don't let the bad you are facing now overshadow the good it could be meant to bring later."

"What good could come from this? I don't think I'm getting any medals for taking down a criminal when they still think I was somehow at fault."

"I'm not making any promises. _I _don't know the future." Her nurse came in and shooed him out then. His grandma's words just made him all the more confused.

He and Lizzy had worked out a system. They both knew the code of claw by heart, so they sent messages through the wall between their rooms when they wanted to talk in secret. Anything they didn't want their mother to hear. They added in a few short hand things just between them. One long scratch was 'be quiet.' Five taps was 'message received.' They only used each other's initials instead of full names.

He and Lizzy had become incredibly close since they got back. Boots quickly lost any interest in returning, but he and Lizzy had both left behind very dear friends. She was the only one who knew why he had finally stopped the mugger. She understands. Mom wouldn't. She would just see the picture as a connection to the place that she blamed for tearing apart her family.

She had wasted no time in removing every flashlight in the house, refastening the vent in the laundry room, and tossing out all the spider silk clothing they had accumulated. When they moved, she had thought it was the final severance from that place. But he would never relinquish his picture. Not when it was all he had left to remember her by.

Lizzy loved her new rat. Mom did not. But even she could not evict the rodent when she saw how happy her daughter was. He was glad they let him keep the prize money. He even got Boots enough plastic animals to start her own zoo.

So now they both had a reminder of what they had lost. On the plus side, their memories would never vanish. But then again, neither would their pain. He reached up above his bed and picked the small plastic bat off the headboard. He wishes he had a picture of him, too. Something real. But he was supposed to be there right up until he died. Things weren't supposed to end the way they did.

The warrior had died. But he still suffered from his loss. Occasionally he missed the feel of his sword on his hip. He truly was a warrior at heart.

He was dozing lightly. His last day in the Underland was drifting through his head. He remembered the beautiful jeweled dagger he had pressed into her hand before he left. He remembered them finally telling each other that they loved each other. He remembered the feeling of emptiness when he had finally uncurled his fingers from his dead bond's claw.

**scraaatch tapscraaatch tapscraaatch tap**

Their signal for "I need to talk."

Not in the mood for encoding everything, and safe in the knowledge that his parents weren't home yet, he went over to her room and sat on her bed next to her. "What's up Liz?"

"I've been dreaming about the Underland a lot since you got expelled. . . . Not like my usual dreams. They aren't nightmares, or memories. Just really confusing. Stone walls moving around. Rain. Skeletons. Currents. I don't know what to make of it. I think maybe it is from having Riptip here." She picks the rat up out of its cage and gently strokes it on her lap.

"Well, as long as they aren't nightmares, I don't think there's anything to worry about." He reaches out and pats the rat. It glares at him, but allows it grudgingly. "And what does rain have to do with the Underland?"

"I don't know. I just know I was in the Underland in the dream, and that it was raining."

"That's weird. . . ." He didn't say it, but he had had similar dreams recently. His, however, _had_ been nightmares.

"You know Mom is going to drag us to Virginia as soon as Grandma dies. . . . I feel so selfish wishing for her to live more so I can stay, rather than because I want her here. Going so far away just seems like abandoning all hope. . . ."

"I know what you mean. . . . But grandma is actually looking forward to peace. I kind of envy her from time to time. . . ."

"Don't you even think about doing anything drastic like suicide or I'll have to kill you." She grins at him. Maybe it's odd for siblings to joke about death like that, but they do. Neither of them would ever really consider suicide. If their mom found out they had even mentioned it, she'd flip. But they had started joking about it when Lizzy mentioned that they could fake their deaths and sneak back under ground.

"Hey Liz, tomorrow's Saturday. Let's go visit Mrs. Cormaci. Maybe we can leave a note in the vent. You never know. They may still check it. It could be like having pen pals."

They both knew this wasn't likely. They had left notes there for weeks after they came back up, but they were never taken. Not till their mother found out. Then she started checking daily to make sure they didn't try it again. She wanted them to forget about the Underland altogether.

"Sounds like fun. I can show her Riptip. He hasn't gotten to go outside much." She cuddled the happy rat before putting it back in its cage. "Will we take Boots?"

"I think . . . the two of us haven't had much time to just hang out lately. Besides, Boots and Dad are going to the zoo tomorrow." Lizzy grins and hugs him.

"Thanks." She was always happy to hang out with him. She had a worse time trying to fit back in after their absence. As he walks out, he sees her take out a note book and a pen and start on a letter that will probably never be read.

Mrs. Cormaci is thrilled to see them. They spend several hours just talking to her about all what has been going on. Lizzy goes to the bathroom while he tells her about getting expelled and their grandmother's declining health. He mentions some of the things that his grandma said, and was surprised when Mrs. Cormaci nods in agreement.

"School. Your Grandma. You know that every connection you lose to New York doesn't have to be a step towards Virginia, right? I could see your mother changing her mind about the Underland if things happened right."

"I couldn't. I don't think anything will change her mind. Not unless she believed it was the only way to keep our family together. Or that somehow it would be safer down there."

"I dunno'. You're mother has had a lot of time to think. It might take less to sway her than you might think. Of course if you pushed her in the wrong way, or at the wrong time, or to hard, you'll get a guaranteed one way ticket out of state." She leaned on the kitchen counter and crossed her feet.

"Thanks. . . . I feel loads better."

"Would you rather me lie to you? 'Cause I won't do it. The way I see it, if you do nothing, you'll stay here. If you try to get her to move, she'll move. Just not necessarily the way you want her to. It's a risk." She pulls a dish out of the oven as it dings. Enough roast chicken to feed three adults, three kids, and a rat.

"You always seem to cook extra when you see us. Even when we don't let you know we're coming."

"Oh? And how do you know I don't cook this much all the time? I might be feeding my whole floor you know!" She sliced off three large plates and then made a small bowl for Riptip. She had instantly adored the little gray rat.

"Well, then I feel guilty about making your whole floor starve then. I'll just take this across the hall to Mrs. Smith." He hid his grin and made to stand.

"Oh, no you don't, mister! Sit. Eat." He obeyed. Lizzy came out and dug in too.

"You know Ripred really would have loved to meet you." Lizzy said. She was so much stronger than him in that. She could talk about her friend so easily. He couldn't. He hadn't said a single name from the Underland since he had come back. Not if it could be avoided at least.

Of course there were two names that rarely left his thoughts. Waking or sleeping, they were always on his mind. His bond and his love.

He wondered if she still cared about him. They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder. It certainly had for him, but for a young queen with a city to run and numerous men around her all the time, could he really expect her to forgo any other romantic relationships for a guy she would never see again?

"Well, if he is anything like this adorable little creature, I'm sure I would have loved to meet him, too!"

"They certainly have the same appetite!" Lizzy giggled at her pet.

"Well, it is getting late. You two should get home before your mom starts to worry. You know that won't be doing yourselves any favors. Take the rest of this chicken before I eat myself into a coma!"

"Thanks, Mrs. Cormaci!" They both say. Even Riptip gives a squeak.

They stop past the laundry room and leave the letter in the vent. They slide it almost all the way in so that no one will notice it from their side.

They get home in plenty of time for supper. It's only been a week since his fight and already things seem to have balanced out. The following Monday, he finds himself in the cloisters, staring at the stone knight.

"Hey! Hey what are you doing here?" He turns and sees Larry and Angelina running towards him. His school is on a field trip.

"I just needed some fresh air. I come here a lot." He explained.

"I know! I see you walking in and out at all hours of the night. I always wondered what you were doing. I thought maybe you were meeting a secret lover or something." Angelina said.

"You read too many romance novels, Angel." Larry says.

"Do not!"

"Do to."

"Oh, come on guys, argue later. Why is our high school doing a field trip here?"

"We don't know. They kinda' just sprung it on us." Larry answered. "And it's just our class. Sophomore Literature."

"I think it had something to do with an anonymous poem that mentioned a stone knight and how it saved the author's life or something." Angelina gave him a meaningful look.

"Ah. Well it's great to see you guys! I'm sorry your parents won't let you see me. . . ." Their parents thought that he was a bad influence since he got in a fight and had to talk to the police in addition to getting expelled.

"Yeah. . . . Well, they'll cool down pretty soon. Oh yeah . . . Angel and I. . . ." Larry looked at the ground.

Angelina glared at him. "We're dating and he's too shy to say it! I had to ask him to repeat himself eight times when he asked me out." Larry was bright red and determined to count the molecules on his shoe laces.

"That's great you guys, but I think everyone already thought you were together." Larry and Angelina both laughed.

"It would explain why everyone was confused when I told them . . . ." Larry mumbled.

"Or they just didn't hear you mumbling," Angelina countered.

"You guys should probably get back to the group. I don't want to get you in trouble."

"Alright. See ya' later!" Angelina said.

"Yeah, later," Larry said and followed her.

He turned back to the knight. "I should stop coming here. . . . You helped me learn to die, but living is beyond you now." He thought. But he knew he'd be back again. He always came back. The warrior was dead. He was the warrior. Maybe the stone knight still had some secrets left for him that would help.

That night at dinner, something happened that he would never have expected. A rat leaped up onto the table and ran to the middle. It sat up on its hind legs and started squeaking at Boots. To the surprise of everyone at the table, she confidently squeaked back.

"Mousy says, 'Ripred says, 'Be more careful next time, warrior!'." Boots translates. Lizzy lets out a squeak of her own at the mention of the big rat's name. He groans, thinking that the entire Underland must know that he slipped up. Mom goes white as a sheet as she realizes her youngest daughter still has the gift of languages that she started learning from Hazard. Dad just smiles at the rat's advice to his son.

The rat seems abnormally hyper. Its back foot is tapping at such a rate it sounds almost like a buzzer. He glances over at Lizzy. His suspicions are confirmed when he sees her start tapping and scratching the table at nearly the same rate.

That pretty much put an end to their dinner. Mom orders them to get to bed. Dad stays to talk with her. He is praying he can at least talk her out of moving to Virginia over a rat.

He expects Lizzy to start tapping on the wall as soon as their doors close, but she remains silent. Maybe whatever message the rat delivered to her was simply a personal message from Ripred. But no. At midnight he hears her start.

"COME TO MY ROOM QUIETLY"

He gets up and silently slips around to her room. She is sitting up with her clothes on and a huge grin on her face.

"What is it, Lizzy?" He feels excitement flooding his mind as well. It must be something extraordinary to get Lizzy all worked up.

"Ripred needs to talk to us face to face. He says it's urgent. He promises it will take no more than twenty minutes. He said to meet him in the cloisters at one. Are you going to come with me?" She already knows the answer.

At a quarter till, they're slipping through a metal gate that seems to have been left unlocked by mistake. He wonders how the rat managed that.

Lizzy darts over to the stone knight and runs her nail down the side, breaking it up with hard taps. To his surprise, the entire platform slowly slides to the side. As soon as he sees the patch of gray fur he hears his voice.

"Feel like helping Overlander? This thing is heavy!"

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><p><strong><em>Reviews are always appreciated!<em>**


	2. Return

**_Author's Note - Those of you who have been following the story from the beginning and are, for some reason, looking back at chapter 2, may notice a large change in format. It struck me while reading the other day that i am drawn to respect, read, and review stories that are formatted nicely, even if they aren't as good as others. I'm now going through my stories and doing my best to make them look good. Credit, as always, to AllyJackson._**

****_Disclaimer - I own nothing. Well... I own my socks, but that's about it. The Underland Chronicles belongs to Suzanne Collins, and if you haven't already, you should go read the Hunger Games Trilogy as well. If the fantastic authoress herself should ever stumble upon this, she is welcome to it. Any part or whole of this story is hers for the taking, cause i'd love to see a sixth book._****

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 – Return<strong>

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><p>"<em>Happiness can be fond, even in the darkest of time, if only one remembers to turn on the lights." - Dumbledor<em>

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><p>"Feel like helping Overlander? This thing is heavy!" Ripred's voice came from the small opening. As he went over to help the rat widen the gap, Lizzy practically glowed with happiness and excitement. He felt a little jealous of her, but mostly happy himself. He had to admit, he missed the grumpy old rat, and seeing his sister like that always made him happy.<p>

As soon as the hole was wide enough for Ripred to fit through, Lizzy had him in a hug. "Ripred! I've missed you sooo much! Why didn't you send a rat messenger before?" The big rat put his tail around the little girl in a rat hug.

"I was very busy for a while. Her highness has been sending me to negotiate with the other Underlanders since I am the 'Peacemaker' and all the races seem to put a lot of store in that. I've been exploring new territory as well. The uncharted lands. Dark regions of the dead lands that have been abandoned for centuries. That is how I ended up finding this gateway to the surface. I just recently had the idea of sending a small rat as a messenger. They are very unreliable generally. Easily distracted. Forgetful. But with enough incentive and a short message, it turns out it can be done successfully."

"That sounds really exciting. Have you found any new creatures in the new places you've explored?" Lizzy is instantly interested in her idol's work.

"No. But I have found viable homes for creatures that have been driven to lands that don't suit their needs."

"How are things going downstairs?" He asked Ripred before Lizzy could continue all night.

"Not well, Overlander. Not well at all. To begin with, her highness was in charge. She started the reconstruction and the peace negotiations. However, there were a few council members that survived the attack and weren't ready to let a twelve year old rule a nation. They went through their scrolls and pulled out every technicality and loophole they could find to put themselves back in charge."

"What about Vikus? Isn't he still on the council? Why is he allowing this?"

"Vikus is dead. He was getting better. Apart from depression and a limp he was back to normal. They have no idea what caused it, but one day he just didn't wake up. The council has effectively guaranteed themselves permanent influence with a law they found that has not been enforced in decades. They will not let her take the thrown until she is sixteen _and married._ Needless to say, she is not happy. If she wants to take over the governing of Regalia, she must choose someone to marry by the time she turns sixteen or allow the council to choose for her. She refuses to choose anyone. So that means the council will get to name the king. Unfortunately, it seems only the honest members of the old council were killed. The corrupt power hungry cowards all managed to escape the slaughter."

"But . . . can't she just change the law? Do the citizens get any say in this? Can they vote or sign a petition or something?" He was feeling a little nauseous. She was going to get married?

"You forget. Things work differently in their government. Tradition holds as much power as royal decrees. It is true that they have not had a single king or queen for many years, but until now they had no idea it was a requirement. However, they intend to support it completely. Of course, some of the more independent thinking people oppose it, but they are hopelessly out-numbered. If the council gets their foot into this, they will undo all we have worked for. They will not bring peace. You saw how well they did before when some of them actually wanted what was best for everyone. Now they have all the weaknesses of monarchy and democracy with none of the strengths."

"What can be done? I have no doubt you at least have some ideas or you wouldn't be here."

"Well the ideal solution for everyone would be if you would get your little mugger pulping carcass back down here, but failing that, her highness either needs to choose someone herself, or the council as a whole needs to have some sort of 'accident' that leaves them incapable of making war."

"You know I would be down there if I could..."

"You can. You know you can. When you left you couldn't, but you've changed. I can see it. If it were just you, you would leave your family. But you know Lizzy would never let you leave without her. And that would be too much for your family. Don't argue. You know it is true."

"Yeah, but that doesn't help. Killing the council would anger the people and ruin the peace. She refuses to pick someone. I can't come back down. Not without destroying my family, and I just can't do that. Any other ideas?" To his surprise, it is Lizzy who answers him.

"We could do what Mrs. Cormaci said. . . . Maybe if we tried, we could get mom to see going back down as the best thing for our family."

"Mrs. Cormaci is a true visionary I tell you! I woman of vision! An absolute genius! Second only to Lizzy in her greatness! So start listening to her! What would it take to convince your mother? You need a plan." Ripred was excited now. There was a chance. A small chance, but he had overcome worse odds.

"Well. . . . We would have to make her believe it was the only way to keep our family safe and united. We haven't even brought it up in almost three years. Not since we moved across town. The rat at lunch didn't seem to help her mood though."

"How was I supposed to explain 'don't interrupt the family meal' to that creature? Perhaps we should convince your father first. He always seemed more open to the idea."

"Yeah. He only wanted to go back up to make mom happy. How long do we have?"

"Her birthday is in two weeks. The council has been sending her new suitors every evening. She will hold out till the very end, though I'm afraid she will simply renounce the thrown when it comes down to it. But she cares too much about the people of Regalia to make that decision easily."

"Two weeks. Alright. We'll try. Meet us back here in one week exactly. If we can't convince her by then, that will hopefully give you time to put together an alternative plan."

"Alright. Good luck Overlander. We all need it now. Oh yes. I'm no longer her highness's bond. The council passed a law a year ago saying that a person could only be bonded to one other creature. They claimed that dividing a bond's loyalties would destroy the meaning of the relationship. I expect that will be changed very soon upon your arrival." Ripred sighed and squeezed Lizzy one last time with his tail before vanishing down the hole and dragging the stone knight back into place.

"You know convincing Mom is going to be all but impossible, right? We're probably just going to end up moving to Virginia if we start this." Lizzy was giving him a waiting look. She was expecting something. She wanted to know how he was going to react.

"Like Mrs. Cormaci said, it's a risk. But we aren't doing ourselves or the Underlanders any more good here than in Virginia. All in all, we risk more by not trying." She grinned at him.

"Maybe you aren't as dumb as Ripred thinks!" She laughed. He felt relieved to have a plan. To have a goal that he truly had to achieve. The only question was how to go about it. From Lizzy's smile on the walk home, she had an idea.

"What's your plan?" He asked her, reminding himself of the rat they had just spoken with.

"Mom wants our family to be safe, first and foremost. A close second is for our family to be together. She believes that the Underland is dangerous. Which it is. But if we could get her to believe it was safer there than here, it would give us a chance. But that would also open up nice safe Virginia. We would never abandon her, so she can pretty much count on us being together no matter what. So the only thing left is to in some way give the Underland an allure that nowhere else has."

"And. . . . What would that be?"

"Happiness. You know she does care about our happiness too. She thinks we'll get over the Underland. What we need is to show her that none of us have lost any desire to be there. If we can convince her that we will be safe, that we will be together, and that we will be happy, we will definitely have a good chance. What would be best would be if _she _missed being there."

"Yeah, but what did she have down there? The plague, a lost husband, two lost children, and a war."

"She saw her son happy. She saw her son in love. She saw her son become a hero, and show wisdom in killing the warrior to end the war. What she has not seen is that his heart is still down there. In a way, us trying so hard to fit back in up here worked against us. You said it was worth the risk right?"

"Um. . . . Yeah?"

"Well. . . ."

"What?"

"You won't like it."

"I don't like this whole situation."

"Maybe if she found your photo, it could start a conversation in our favor. It would have to seem like an accident though."

"You want me to risk losing the only thing I have to remember her by? Knowing that the only way I'll lose it is if we fail and lose any chance we have of ever seeing her again?"

"Yes. I think it will help. Then we will just have to talk carefully and calmly. It's our best hope really."

"Alright. . . ."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You're right. It is our best hope. Maybe if things don't work out, I can have Ripred bring me one of the other photos from the museum..."

"It will work. It _will_ work! It has to." Lizzy looks up at him hopefully. By now they are home. It's about two thirty. "Tomorrow after school? Or today I guess. Let it fall out of your pocket at dinner or something."

"Okay. It's the best plan we have." He knows he is not going to sleep that night. He will be up until dawn holding the picture and the toy bat and remembering all he can remember of them both.

The next day is one of the longest of his life. By that night, they will either have convinced their mother, or doomed themselves and the Underland. Dinner finally comes after what seems like a week.

Dropping the photo ends up being harder than he had imagined. It is similar to the feeling of trying to force yourself to fall without attempting to cushion your own impact. A complete act of trust. He manages it, pretending to get something for Lizzy out of his wallet. The picture drops face up in the middle of the table. I quickly reach to pick it up as if it was an accident, but, as planned, my mother gets it first.

She is shocked. She stares at the picture for several long seconds before handing it back to him and silently leaving the room. Dad follows her while he and Lizzy sit there wondering if they've blown it entirely.

They are both too nervous to continue eating, and after fifteen minutes they can't just sit there any longer. They go and sit on her bed. They're too far away from their parent's room to hear them.

"What do you think is going to happen?" His sister asks him.

"I don't know. I wasn't expecting her to be like that. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't that. . . ."

"I know . . . me neither. But it's too late to change our minds now. We're in this to the end. Underland or Virginia." Lizzy doesn't seem as worried as he feels. Maybe it's from the time she spent with Ripred. Maybe she's learned to hide her fear. Or maybe she knows something that he doesn't. Well . . . more than she already did.

"You think this is a good sign, don't you?" He asks her.

She smiles. "It's just a feeling. We won't know anything for sure until they talk to us."

He knows she's right, but it doesn't make waiting any easier. They go and clean the dishes from their second short dinner in as many days. Boots seems to have gone around and taken what she liked from all the abandoned plates after they had gone and is now contentedly coloring a picture in the living room.

Their parents come out after about an hour. Mom looks like she's been crying. Dad . . . well, he just can't tell with him sometimes. He's like Lizzy. His mind is running faster than it should be able to. When someone is thinking about so many things at once, it's hard to read their feelings on any one matter.

"Kids . . . we need to talk," His dad hasn't said that very many times. When he got his job back. When they moved. When their grandma went to live at the nursing home. When his son got expelled. Today. "Given our current situation, your mother and I have decided it is time for a change of scenery. We received a call from the nursing home just before dinner. We had planned on telling you after dinner. Grandma's dead. She had a heart attack last night. Her funeral is going to be in two days."

He's shocked. That explains why his mother reacted so strongly. She must have barely been holding it together as it was.

"The farm in Virginia is still an option, and we have been considering it. But. . . . We're a family, and it really wouldn't be fair of us not to let you have some say in this."

His mother looked close to tears again. "I'm sorry. . . . I shouldn't have been so closed minded. . . . But if you all really want this. . . . Then there are going to be some conditions." She looked up at Dad. He smiled at her and put his arm around her.

"First, we will all live together until such time as you are considered an adult by their laws. Second, the girls will both be enrolled in some kind of structured education. Third, it isn't likely that you'll see anyone from New York again. If we move, it's forever. You need some consistency in your lives after all you've been through. Fourth, Boots is not to be brought along to anything that could be even remotely dangerous under any circumstances without one of us there." his mom nodded at her husband's words.

"Also. . . ." his mom adds, "Lizzy must wait until she is sixteen to date and cannot go into any dangerous situations without her brother and Ripred both protecting her, and both of our permissions. Son . . . you are considered an adult by their laws. You're sixteen. Although, with what you have been through, you have not been a child for a long time. We'll allow you to make your own decisions. I suspect they are still in need of their warrior. . . ." His mom barely gets her last sentence out, then she is sniffling.

"One last thing," his dad says, "You can't keep anything from us. Even if you think it will terrify us or worry us, you have to be honest with us." His dad seems to suspect there is already something they aren't telling him. He looks at Lizzy. She looks at him.

"We've got to tell them. . . ." She says. He nods. This is going to be an ordeal.

It takes a while between his mother's tears and occasional urge to change her mind, and when he mentions the whole marriage thing, he receives a lecture and is told there will be more to follow when his sisters aren't listening. Great. However, to his great relief, the news doesn't break his father's resolve, and he is able to keep their mother from relapsing into hysterics or grounding them all for life.

The next day is dedicated to saying their goodbyes. They've decided that they are going to tell everyone but Mrs. Cormaci that they are moving to Virginia. His mother reminded them that there is still time for her to change her mind if she even suspects they are keeping something from her.

Larry and Angelina promise to write, but since he won't be there to receive the letters or ever reply to them, he tells them he doesn't know the address yet. They'll get over him pretty quickly. He's glad now that they never got really close again.

He and Lizzy go to the cloisters at the appointed time, with their parents' knowledge and permission this time. Ripred is already waiting for them.

"Well, how did it go?" He asks.

"She's still a little hesitant, but I think Dad managed to convince her somehow." He replies.

"I had him drop his picture where she could see it; to start a conversation, but Dad took care of the conversation part." Lizzy adds.

"Letting her see the picture was a good idea. I'm guessing it was Lizzy's then."

"Oh ha ha Ripred. I have good ideas, too."

"Name one."

"I decided not to take sides with you or her when you were about to go back to war with each other. That was a pretty good idea."

"Yes, I must admit that impressed me. Now shut up and let Lizzy do the talking." Ripred said. Lizzy giggled. He shut up.

"You'd be really impressed by the color of his face when Mom and Dad started giving him 'The Talk' when he mentioned marriage!"

"Ha! I bet that made the whole idea a little more real, didn't it?"

"Yeah. . . ." He mumbles. Not his fondest memory.

"Have you told anyone yet? About our plan to try to come back?" His sister asks.

"Not yet. I thought it prudent not to get their hopes up or put ideas of kidnapping in their heads any sooner than necessary."

"You were considering kidnapping us?" He asks.

"Well . . . yeah, a little. But I don't have to and I think you should probably avoid mentioning it to your parents."

"We'll be coming down through the tunnel over the Waterway at midnight in three days. Can you arrange to have someone there to pick us up?" Lizzy is the first to think of their need for a lift.

"Of course. You're all coming then? Well. . . . That changes things a bit. Warrior, can you arrange to meet me here tomorrow at the same time? I have something I want to show you. I had planned on taking you both, but Lizzy will need to go with your parents. I'll have to take her some other time."

"I'll do my best. I'll at least be here to let you know if I can't make it. Okay?" He is curious now. What could Ripred have that the rat would want to show him?

"Good. I'll be waiting. Fly you high, boy!"

"Run like the river, Ripred."

Their mom is not happy to hear that he'll be leaving before the rest of the family, but she's calmed down a lot and accepts that this is going to happen.

They go to visit Mrs. Cormaci to tell her they're leaving and to say goodbye, since he won't be there to see her one last time with his family.

"I told ya'!" She says as soon as she finds out.

"Oh, you sound just like Ripred." He says.

"Good! Sounds like he's got the right idea about this. Here! I just made this up, and it looks like I've got too much. Take it to the rat." She pulls out a large pan of shrimp in cream sauce.

"How do you do that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"How do you always know just what we need before we even know it ourselves?"

"You really wanna' know?"

"Yes!"

"You sure?"

"Yes!" He's surprised to find Lizzy right there next to him asking as well.

"Alright. Come in here." She walks to the room where she stores all her old stuff. She pulls out a dusty old box and opens it. She leafs through several papers and finally pulls out a letter written on old parchment.

"What's that?"

"After you told me about that place, I knew one of the names you mentioned sounded familiar. One of my great grandparents had ancestors from a place called Sandwich. I dug out these old letters, and found one from a man named Bartholomew to his granddaughter, who happened to be marrying a French man by the name of Cormaci." She offers the letter.

"So . . . you're like Sandwiches great great great great great great granddaughter?"

"That's what I think. I get dreams that show me things I wouldn't normally know. I don't always understand, but I try to do what I can. I thought I had gone crazy when I started getting glimpses of you in the Underland. That's why I always wanted to read your tarot. So I could ask if what I was seeing was real." She explains. It makes since in retrospect. She always knew what they needed, but never knew what went on. Her visions turned her into their own guardian angel.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Lizzy asks.

"Well, I didn't think it would do you any good to expect me to know things and then have me not be able to deliver. And I liked having a few secrets." She smiles. He can't help but laugh. Of course she's Sandwich's descendant. The irony is just too perfect. What will Ripred think? Ha! Then another thought occurs to him.

"I bet that's the same as Nerissa! I bet she's like your twelfth cousin twice removed or something!" She considers it for a minute.

"Well, I guess it is possible. Maybe only Sandwich's blood line can see the future. She's the young queen's cousin, right? I guess that makes me royalty! Ha! Can you imagine it?" She seems to be enjoying this.

He looks at his watch and is alarmed to see it is a quarter after eleven. "I need to go. I've got to grab my bags from home and meet Ripred in forty five minutes! I'll miss you Mrs. Cormaci. Thank you for everything. We couldn't have made it through all this without you."

"No need to thank me. It made life interesting! Now go. Don't make the rat wait. And don't forget this shrimp!"

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><p><em><strong>Read and Review!<strong>_


	3. Atlantis

_**Author's Note - Everyone should know, i'm not a writer. I'm an engineer. This is just a hobby, and my interest is in the story, not the english language. For most of my life, english and history have been the bane of my existence. I'm a math and science person through and through. In addition, i write for myself. Others enjoying it is just a bonus.**_

****_Disclaimer - I own nothing. Well... I own my socks, but that's about it. The Underland Chronicles belongs to Suzanne Collins, and if you haven't already, you should go read the Hunger Games Trilogy as well. If the fantastic authoress herself should ever stumble upon this, she is welcome to it. Any part or whole of this story is hers for the taking, cause i'd love to see a sixth book._****

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 – Atlantis<strong>

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><p>"<em>The shape of happiness might resemble glass... You don't usually see it, but it is still definitely there. <em>

_You only need to change your point of view, and it will sparkle to reflect the light._" _- Lelouch_

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><p>He had packed his stuff the night before. He guessed he was in shock or something, because it didn't really hit him until he saw Ripred push the stone knight to the side. He was going back. He was going to live down there. He was going to see her!<p>

He had packed everything he had, which wasn't much. They weren't completely poor anymore, but they definitely couldn't afford a lot of luxuries. Most of what he had in the line of entertainment was what he had received as gifts.

His dad's family in Virginia sent him a music player. It wasn't an actual iPod, but it was better than the old CD player he had. He couldn't wait to see what she thought of Overland music. He had used the computer at the library to fill it up with all of his favorite music since he'd never get a chance to switch it up again. He also knew he'd only have about twelve hours left even with it fully charged, unless they got a really long extension cord.

He brought his new pair of steel toed boots, his wallet, his key chain, his cell phone, and his black plastic bat. He figured as soon as the batteries died he would leave his cell phone and his music player in the museum.

He didn't need a flashlight. It was nice to know that he would never need batteries again, but he decided to use the last of my cash on light for her. She had told him that she liked having a flashlight taped to her arm over holding a torch in battle.

He did buy a few other things to give her a taste of the overland. He brought a couple of squirt guns, an assorted bag of candy, and a few cans of soda. He hoped that she and Hazard would like them.

Now, as he slipped down the passage next to Ripred, he was nearly overwhelmed with excitement. He would be seeing her in a matter of hours!

"What is it you were going to show me Ripred? How far are we from Regalia?" He finishes shoving the stone back into place while he questions the rat.

"About six hours away. And if I were going to tell you, I would have told you and Lizzy both!" The big rat leads the way down a very steep, very narrow incline to a flat shelf of dirt. It seems odd to have dirt here completely surrounded by stone, like a filled-in pool.

"What's this?" He asks Ripred.

"Take a look." He indicates a small stone protrusion from the dirt. It's a gravestone.

_Here lies Bartholomew of Sandwich. _

_Prophet. Warrior. Father. Husband. Hero. _

_May he forever rest in peace._

"It's. . . . It's Sandwich's grave? I thought he would have been buried back in Regalia!" He's shocked. Was this really what he had wanted to show him? Then he had another thought. "Was he called the warrior, too?"

"No. I believe it means it in a much more general sense. He did not do as much fighting as most. He began recording his prophesies a year after the land on which Regalia is located was seized from the diggers. He spent his last five years of health there. He would have probably lived another year or two if he had not insisted on being brought to this place to be buried."

"How do you know all this?" He is amazed by how much the rat knows about a man he claims to believe is a fraud.

"I found something else here. His journal. You can imagine my surprise when I opened it to find a letter addressed to me on the first page. Well . . . addressed to the peacemaker, who he went on to describe as a gray furred gnawer and an outcast rager turned king."

"Wait, you're the king of the gnawers?"

"Yes. Most of them, at least. After the war, a few would not accept my call for peace, so they fled to the dead lands. However, the humans, flyers, most of the gnawers, the nibblers, spinners, crawlers, and stingers have come to an agreement of peace. The rebel gnawers, twisters, and cutters are still hostile, but as yet have not united themselves. The shiners and most other races remain neutral as they always have." Ripred filled him in.

"Wow. . . . The twisters are enemies to us as well? I thought they just wanted to be left alone."

"They did. But the Bane removed the nibblers from their home. That made them see him as an ally. And they sympathize with the cutters in their dislike of warmbloods. Of course, they are too stupid to realize that the Bane was a warmblood, but they don't need to be smart to be dangerous. For example, the Bane."

"Yeah. . . . Did any diggers survive?"

"If they did, they are staying well hidden. It is a shame. Her highness was set on making peace with them. She would never relinquish Regalia back to them, but she would willingly let them have access to the plentiful fish of the river. An alliance with them would have greatly strengthened our cause. Shown that anything can be forgiven, even if not forgotten."

"What did you do with Sandwich's journal? Taken it back to Regalia? Was it full of prophesies too? They'll have a fit trying to figure them all out..."

"No, I did not take it back to Regalia, and it wasn't filled with prophesies. In fact, it looked like he recorded all of his sane thoughts. I would have read the whole thing if it had not told me in no uncertain terms to stop. To be honest, it told me to tell the small rat living under the rock in the corner of the cave I was in to deliver a message to Lizzy. I felt incredibly stupid for not trying it before, even though there were valid reasons for it to fail."

"It sounds like his journal is a lot more accurate and straight forward than his prophesies. If he could see the future so clearly, why did he write such cryptic garbage in Regalia?"

"I wondered that myself. But can you imagine how much things would change if everyone knew the future? I think I'm finally beginning to understand why he did it. He didn't want to tell us the future; he just wanted to prepare us for the present." Ripred sounded as though he now held a deep respect for the man.

"So what did you do with the journal?" he asked the rat.

"I have it back where I have been staying while I was waiting for you. It also told me to remove the section meant for me, and then pass the journal on to the warrior."

"The warrior is dead, Ripred. Sandwich said so himself."

"Yes he did, didn't he? Well, I will hang on to it, just in case it turns out he was wrong." Ripred gave him a strange look. He wonders what else Sandwich had to say to the peacemaker.

"Does anyone else know about the journal?"

"No, and I'd like to keep it that way for now. However, if you think it seems to be of importance that someone knows, you can tell them. Here. This is what I wanted to show you."

They had been walking for perhaps twenty minutes. It had been a smooth, gently sloping path of carved stone. Now it opened into a sweeping set of crumbling stairs that led down to something that took his breath away. A city. Small, even compared to Regalia, but a hundred times more astounding than the beautiful stone city.

While Regalia had been beautiful, far superior to anything in the Overland, it had been made with practicality in mind. This place could be described as nothing less than a work of art on a massive scale. The streets, upon closer inspection, were stories, carved in flowing images and words. The buildings looked as if they were carved from gems. Each a different color.

There were torches lit in several locations, and he realized Ripred must have wanted him to see more than just the shapes his echolocation revealed. He stared around in wonder. Some of the walls were carved to be translucent, while others had a mirror like effect, and still others seemed like holographs, showing different images from a thousand different angles.

But the most incredible thing there was the forest. Hundreds of stone trees, carved down to the tiniest detail, with leaves of equally perfect emeralds and rubies, stood in an area outside the city that resembled an Overland park.

There were also stone trees spread throughout the city. It was clear that these people had loved their Overland home. He remembered hearing that Sandwich believed that one day the Overland would be uninhabitable, so he had moved them underground. Apparently, you can take the people off the surface, but you can't take the surface out of the people.

"What do you think, boy?" Ripred was grinning at him.

"What is this place?" He manages to whisper. His body seems reluctant to disturb the silent magnificence of this place, as though a single ugly sound could destroy it.

"This. . . ." He gestures to the city. "Is the lost city of Atlantis. The Underland humans' first city."

"Atlantis. . . . You mean like the one they say was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean?"

"The very same. You see, the humans lived here, claimed it as their own, and would have loved to believe that they had made it, but it was here long before Sandwich was born. Perhaps the native inhabitants of America who told Sandwich they had been down here were responsible. Or maybe some other long extinct race or species. Whatever created it, it was the stuff of legends for many centuries even in the Overland."

He couldn't believe it. It was truly too fantastic. Something was tugging at his brain. Something was wrong. But what could be wrong with such a perfect place? Then he understood. "Why did the Underlanders leave this place? Why did Sandwich go take the diggers' land when he could have just lived here?"

"I have no idea. I was hoping it would be in his journal, but it was not in my section. Maybe he explains later. But I feel certain something must have driven them out. No one would voluntarily leave this place without good reason."

"Is this were you have been staying?" He asks.

"Yes. The journal is in a house I found to be especially beautiful. You know, no two buildings here, and there are well over three hundred, are the same color? Every shade you can imagine coming from the earth. . . ."

Ripred leads the way through the city. It is even more amazing from up close. He almost walks into Ripred, three trees, and two buildings while trying to watch the stories unfolding on the street beside him. Finally, they reach the building, a beautiful rich brown colored structure that Ripred has hidden the journal in.

"Why do you find this one so beautiful, Ripred?"

"It is a rare thing to find a gem so clear and dark in this color . . . and it is the same color as Silksharp's eyes were. . . . And your sister's for that matter." This openness from the rat surprises him. He hasn't seemed quite like himself since he entered the tunnel. This place is having a strange effect on him. Or maybe it was the journal.

A noise behind him has him reaching for his hip. He's been in the Underland for less than an hour, and already he has started missing Sandwich's sword. No. _His_ sword. He turns and hopes Ripred is ready to take the intruder, since he is not going to be much help. He lost his ability to speak for the second time at what stood in front of him. At _who _stood in front of him.

"Greetings, Warrior. Long time no see." Say the rat before him. He just gapes at her.

"Well, you're articulate today." Ripred comments as he moves his mouth silently.

"But. . . . But you're dead!"

"Nope. Try again." She has a fanged grin on her face now and he can tell she is trying not to laugh.

"I. . . ." With a complete lack of words, he finally gives up and runs forward, throwing his arms around the first rat besides Ripred he ever considered an ally, and the very first he considered a friend.

Twitchtip laughs and wraps her tail around him for an instant before nudging him away. "You smell like human. Sorry." He can't help but grin.

"How can you be alive? We intercepted the report from the gnawers during the war saying you were dead."

"They were mistaken. It is not so hard to fool someone into thinking you are dead when you have already survived longer than they expected. I just held my breath when they were close and stayed limp. They threw me in the river and expected that to be the end of it. I managed to pull myself out and eat a few fish. When I had some strength back, I started trying to find my way back to Regalia, but my nose was still badly damaged. I got hopelessly lost. I was here when Ripred found me. The colors of the stone smell beautiful." He seems to have been in a near constant state of surprised and astounded since he came through that tunnel. He had been right about the stone knight having more secrets for him.

"You seem as amazed to see her as I was. I bet I can amaze you more." Ripred seemed to have become his old sarcastic taunting self again.

"I doubt that." It was a really dumb thing to say. After all he'd shown him, he should not have doubted the rat's ability to amaze.

Ripred slipped past him and pressed his nose to Twitchtip's with his eyes closed. She smiled and pressed back for a moment before looking back at him. "We spent a few weeks here after he found me. We talked. Things happened. It turns out he has a heart after all."

He's never been so close to fainting in his life. It is too much for him to handle. Ripred and Twitchtip? They're mates? But they hated each other before. . . .

"I thought you both hated each other." He feels stupid, not being able to say anything besides the obvious and his own incorrect thoughts.

"Well. . . . I may have been a little hostile to the idea of having a house guest that could not even stand the smell of her own kind, but I came around. I didn't mind her so much when she wasn't complaining about my smell, the smell of my food, the smell of my den, the smell of pretty much everything in the dead lands."

"I liked him from the start, but my experiences had made me treat him with the same distance and disgust as everyone else. If I hadn't been in such desperate need both times I've met him, I probably wouldn't be in this situation now."

"So. . . . How long have you two been living out here?" He can't seem to think of anything better to ask. He hopes he doesn't become this tongue-tied when he gets back to Regalia. He's sure she'd love that greeting. _"Uh..."_

"Well. . . . I found this place for the first time while she was out hunting. I went to report back to Regalia. When I came back, I found out that she had searched the entire place over when she came back and smelled me. She's the one who found the tunnel to the Overland and Sandwich's grave. We spent a few weeks here just talking like she said. Then we started on our way back to Regalia. That was about . . . five months ago. After our pups were born, we decided to come back here to explore further. They fixed her nose in Regalia, and she would be invaluable in this type of work. She smelled the journal and I figured out how to get it. It was a pain, believe me. We've been living here about a week since then."

"Pups . . . . You have pups?" Oh jeez. . . . Lizzy's gonna' flip.

"Two. One boy, one girl. Razorclaws and Sapphire-eyes. You will meet them in Regalia." Twitchtip says. She and Ripred seem to be enjoying toying with him.

"Alright. Ok. Sure. Let's go to Regalia. Is there anything else I should know?"

"You will see when you get there." Ripred looks like he doesn't want to be the one to tell him, but it doesn't seem like when he avoided the Prophesy of Time.

"Let's get going Ripred. I am sure he is anxious to be back." Twitchtip nuzzles Ripred's neck. He is still shocked, but he's decided not to show it anymore. His face might stick.

"There is one more thing I need to show him. Back there." Ripred gestures to the far end of the city.

"I thought you would have showed him that first!" Twitchtip looks up at him.

"You distracted me. Well. The whole city distracted me." He looks around the place. "Come on Overlander. One more stop before we leave for your little girlfriend."

"Look who's talking about girlfriends." He finally comes up with something halfway intelligent to say.

"Oh, you seem to have found your tongue again!" Ripred laughs as he turns red. "You would have made a very nice tree for all the mental activity I saw behind your eyes!"

"What is your connection to this city, Ripred?" That shuts him up.

"I have no connection to it. I will most likely never come here again, unless it turns out to be of some use to our goal of peace." The rat doesn't look at him.

"You're lying."

"So you and Lizzy _are_ related. . . ." He doesn't deny it though.

"So what is it you're about to show me?" He can see Ripred isn't happy, so he changes the subject.

They've been walking along an increasingly narrow pathway. At first it was wide enough for them to walk side by side with three other people if they wanted, but now they are single file. They come to a fork. One path has the image of a hand holding a sword carved above the path. The other has a hand holding a bat's claw in the gesture of bonding. We take the second path, which continues to narrow as the other seemed to widen. Suddenly, Ripred can go no farther.

"You need to go in there. There is something in there that only you are allowed to see." The rat backs up and lets him pass. He barely fit through the gap himself.

What follows is something like an obstacle course that no creature in the Underland could possibly complete apart from a human. It would not be feasible to carry a torch, and even a flashlight would be an unbearable hindrance. This path was designed to allow access to a human with echolocation only. It was carved for the warrior.

Inside was a small round room with a flat stone wall from floor to ceiling in the middle of the room. There was about a four foot gap on either side. He walks around it. On the side opposite the door, he finds that the slab is covered in large carved words. The size and spacing is so random, he doubts anyone could read it by feel alone.

_The Prophesy of the Warrior_

_". . . OUR LIFE AND DEATH ARE ONE WE TWO."_

_HAS NEVER BEFORE RUNG SO TRUE._

_THE WARRIOR, STRONG, HAS BEEN MADE WEAK._

_OF WHAT KILLED HIM, HE CANNOT SPEAK._

_THE DEAD MUST RISE, TO FIGHT THE DEAD,_

_OR ALL THIS LAND WILL BE MADE RED._

_THE PATH OF WAR WILL SHOW THE WAY,_

_FOR LOST LIGHTS TO SHINE THIS DAY._

_THE END IN SIGHT, A GHOST OF THE PAST,_

_WILL RAISE THE DEAD SO PEACE MIGHT LAST._

_THE WARRIOR'S HEART, ONCE LOST TO ALL,_

_WILL BEAT AGAIN AT DESTINY'S CALL._

Somehow, the words made him feel hopeful. It was clear these words were directly from Sandwich to him. He had taken painstaking care to make sure he was the only one who would ever read this prophesy, yet he could not understand why.

It seemed to indicate something very bad and very good happening soon. The dead rising to fight the dead, the land being made red, the path of war. . . . They all sounded as though something catastrophic were coming.

But then, the warrior's heart beating again, lost lights to shine, peace, the part of the bonding vow. . . . They all made him feel like smiling. He reaches up and runs his hands over the words. "Why was I the only one supposed to see this?" He whispers to himself.

He finds Ripred pacing outside the tunnel. As soon as he sees him, he is asking questions.

"Well? What was back there? What did it say?"

"How do you know it said anything?"

"You'll find out when we get back to Regalia. It did say something, though, so what was it?"

"It was a prophesy. And I was the only one supposed to see it, so I'm not sure I'm supposed to tell you. . . ." he says. The rat glares at him.

"We'll discuss this back in Regalia then. Come on, we're leaving. You took forever in there." The rat turns and soon the three of them are on their long trek to Regalia.

It is a painfully long trip, but they don't stop to rest. They keep up a rapid pace and see the city's lights in less than four hours. He's exhausted. It must be nearly dawn by now. Ripred decides they should probably rest before entering the city that will no doubt show little concern for his lack of rest. His torn between his desire to sleep and his desire to see her as soon as possible. Eventually, he loses his opportunity to choose as he falls asleep thinking about it.

He has no idea how much time has passed, when he wakes up leaning comfortably against Twitchtip's side. He laughs a little, remembering the trip to kill the Bane in the labyrinth. This time neither of them cared. They set off and it seems it must be their approximation of a night.

There is light from the city and the fields, but the guards are few and far between. Ripred, being the clever rat he is, takes them on a slightly roundabout path that allows them to avoid detection by all but one guard.

The guard is standing by a side gate to the city with his sword at his hip and his bond dozing lightly beside him. He makes it to within ten feet of him before he notices him and turns. He hasn't even got his sword half drawn when he recognizes him.

He swears he hears several of his ribs crack when he hugs him.

"Overlander! You have returned!"

"Hey, Mareth, how's it going?" He asks the soldier.

"As well as they can be expected to go. Personally, I am pleased to be back on active duty. I can use my new leg just as well as my original, and this one never falls asleep!" He laughs. He has such a great sense of humor about his injury.

"That's great! Hey, do you think you could get me into the palace without anyone knowing? I'd like to surprise someone. . . ."

"Overlander, I think it will come as a most welcome and long awaited surprise indeed." He led him to a door in the wall made so flawlessly from identical stone and fit perfectly to its frame, that he would never have been able to find it.

"Who made this door?" He asks. It seems strange that they don't have more doors if they can make them so well.

"Sandwich himself. He personally designed and built many features of our city. He was an expert stone worker and in his younger days, delighted in making complicated puzzles. The city is likely full of secret passages if anyone were able to follow his thoughts enough to find them all." He wonders how many are recorded in Sandwich's journal.

"Isn't it dangerous to be surrounded by passages you don't know about?" He asks. He thinks of the tunnels that Twirltongue had once used to get in under the palace.

"No more than having walls that do not reach the peak of the cavern. It is a risk that is unlikely to ever be exploited by any enemy. We have been searching for and finding passages ever since the first one was discovered some sixty years ago."

"And this one leads from the wall to the palace?"

"Yes. It is only known by a few trusted guards, as an emergency way to remove the queen should it become necessary. You are not to tell anyone about this."

"Of course not. I'll just say the guards need more training." Mareth gives him a false glare and then laughs.

"Well, you certainly got very close on your own; perhaps we _do _need more training!"

"I didn't do it all by myself. I had some help from Ripred."

"Of course. I suppose he has gone around to the front gate? Or has Twitchtip sidetracked him?"

"I have no idea. He just told me to go ahead." He says as the guard leads him through what must be a mile of tiny passages.

"Ah, here we are. You must tell me how she reacts later, Overlander! I am sure it will be quite a sight to see!"

He promises he will talk to him later and makes his way into the royal chamber. Hazard is playing with a small chess board, rearranging the pieces and then rearranging them again. The boy sees him and opens his mouth to shout but he quickly puts a hand over his mouth.

"Shhh, Hazard. I want to surprise her." Hazard nods. He removes his hand and the boy grins at him.

"She's out on a 'date' with another of the council's prospective suitors. She'll be back in a few minutes. Probably in a very bad mood."

"Has she come home from a date with one of them in a good mood?" He feels a pang of jealousy.

"Oh yes. One tried to grope her and she broke his hand with a stone mug. She was positively joyful after that occasion." He relaxes. She hasn't had even the slightest interest in any of those guys.

He takes a seat behind a piece of furniture that resembles a sofa made of stone with thick silk blankets on it. She will not be able to see him from the door, and with any luck, she'll sit on the sofa first.

"I am _not _going to marry you, or any other man I do not love!" Her voice rings out from the hall.

"Oh, do not be that way. You must marry before you can rule. Why not me?"

"Because you are a brainless, talentless, useless, power hungry pawn of the council that just wants to be king!"

"You aren't being fair. I am no worse than any of the other guys you've considered."

"I have _not _considered them for a heartbeat!"

"Why are you waiting for that coward of a warrior that completely abandoned you? I'm twice the man he is!"

**-THWACK-**

"Ah! My nose! What was that for?"

"Do not dare to speak about him like that you slime! He left for love of his family after being prepared to die for us! He lost his bond in that war! He killed the Bane while you were hiding in the palace! And he will come back for me someday! Queen or not, it does not matter to him!" There was another sound of impact that sounded as though she may have stomped on the guy's toe, then he heard her footsteps as she entered the room and collapsed on the sofa.

"Another charming gentleman?" Hazard asks innocently from the floor.

"Oh, an absolute dream compared to the last one. . . . What am I going to do Hazard?"

"I'm sure something will come to you," Hazard gives him a covert wink. The boy can see them both in profile, with their backs almost together. He knows the moment is right. He stands up silently and then grabs her shoulders.

"AHHH!" She yelps and grabs Solovet's dagger from under the sofa as she turns. She drops the dagger.

"Hey Luxa. . . . I've missed you."

"Gregor. . . ." He never would have guessed the slight girl could hug harder than a hardened soldier.

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><p><em><strong>When i was originally planning the story, i wanted to avoid using Gregor's name for the entire first chapter, but i realized that was going to be rough. I settled for only avoiding the names of people who weren't present. Dunno why. Just seemed like the thing to do.<strong>_

_**Read and Review!**_


	4. Engagement

_**Author's Note - I know that some people may not like the idea of two 16 year olds getting married, but it non-modern royalty, i feel like it isn't such a surprising thing. On the other hand, and sexytimes that are to be had will only ever be implied, and you can decide for yourself what happened or did not happen, based upon your comfort zone.**_

_****_Disclaimer - I own nothing. Well... I own my socks, but that's about it. The Underland Chronicles belongs to Suzanne Collins, and if you haven't already, you should go read the Hunger Games Trilogy as well. If the fantastic authoress herself should ever stumble upon this, she is welcome to it. Any part or whole of this story is hers for the taking, cause i'd love to see a sixth book._****_

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><p><strong>Chapter 4 - Engagement<strong>

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><p><em>"What's coming will come, and we'll meet it when it does." - Hagrid<em>

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><p>Hazard quietly excused himself from the room.<p>

Gregor and Luxa were now sitting comfortably on the couch, both happier than they could remember being since they parted four years before. They talked for hours, well into the night. When Hazard could amuse himself elsewhere no longer, he returned to find them asleep, still locked in each other's arms.

With morning came Howard, intending to call his cousin for breakfast. He believed she was still asleep due to her abnormally late date the night before. She had hoped her yawns would discourage the man. She was not so fortunate. Or, judging by his swollen nose, he was the unfortunate one.

Howard didn't register exactly what he was seeing at first. His first thought was that she had actually accepted one of the guys the council had proposed. Then he thought rape. But then he saw the boy's dark hair and tanned skin in sharp contrast to Luxa's translucent skin and silver blonde hair.

"Overlander! What are you doing with my cousin?" He was swamped by emotions and couldn't control which one came out. Happiness for his friend's return. Acceptance that not only would this be best for Regalia, but it would also make them both happy. But a tiny bit of anger from a long past conversation about how the Underland queen and the Overland warrior could not "date" was the first to reach his mouth.

"Hmmm . . . Howard? Why are you yelling so early in the morning?" Luxa asked groggily. She yawned and snuggled closer to Gregor. This did not help her cousin's mood.

"Howard? Oh . . . I . . . uh . . . I got here pretty late last night and couldn't wait to talk to Luxa, but we ended up falling asleep. . . ." He didn't know why he was so nervous. Was he afraid that Howard would manage to talk her out of such an unfitting relationship? Or that he would lose his friend before he even got to say hello? It certainly wasn't that he was afraid he'd lose in a fight.

Howard took several deep breaths and tried to let his rational mind take over. They are in love. They have not seen each other in four years. They were no doubt both very tired. There is nothing to be angry about. "It is . . . good to see you again, Gregor. You have been sorely missed by all."

"I've missed everyone here too. I'm glad I was able to make it back." Gregor was relieved that his friend's anger seemed to be melting.

"As am I. It seems the council will be in for a surprise this morning. They requested that you eat with them, Luxa. I assume you would not miss an opportunity to rub this in their faces?"

"Tell them I shall be down in a few moments. I just need to get dressed. Gregor. . . . You need to wait in this room. _This_ time." Gregor did not know if she was teasing him or her cousin, but they both turned red at her last two words. _This time? Oh yeah. . . . We're probably getting married. Her birthday is in just a little over a week. _He hadn't really thought about just what all marrying Luxa included. He had been overwhelmed by the thought of getting to see her and talk to her again.

_Getting married at sixteen? Was that normal down here?_ He thought about Vikus and Solovet, and how old Hamnet and Susanna were. They were probably more than sixteen when they got married. At least when they had children. He turned red again, thinking about this while standing next to Howard.

_Will we have kids? Do I want to have kids? Yes._ He decided right then, that he would be happy to have children if they got a chance to live here in a time of peace. He couldn't imagine a better childhood. He could even take them to Atlantis. But not yet. Not when things are still so unstable. Not until this is all taken care of.

_Can you say no to her? No. _He knew, if she took the lead, he would not resist her. He couldn't say he hadn't thought about it. She had always been beautiful, but four years had made her enchanting. Her long thin limbs and her hair back to its full length. She was the most stunning person he had ever seen.

_You are getting ahead of yourself!_ The council might not even force her to get married if they know that she found someone besides their puppets. And would she really want to marry him so young if it were completely up to her?

_You will just have to wait and find out. It will probably be decided at breakfast._ Breakfast with the council. He would get to see their reactions for himself. He smiled to himself at the thought. Oh how they deserved it. They tried to force his Luxa to marry one of their peons just to keep power and influence. _Your Luxa? Yes. My Luxa._

_What are you going to do with yourself down here while she is busy being queen?_ He hadn't really thought about it, but since the warrior was dead, he would probably need a job. Maybe he could help Mareth train new soldiers. Or accompany Ripred in his explorations. Even if he was married to Luxa, he might be required to earn money to pay for things. He had always been a guest before. If he were a resident, things might be different.

"What do you think?" Luxa stepped out from behind the curtain dividing her sleeping quarters from the rest of the royal chambers. His train of thoughts immediately derailed, crashed, and burst into flames as he watched her walk toward him in a long, form fitting silk dress with a single strip of thin fabric over one shoulder and her hair braided and draped over the same shoulder as the strap. She grinned at the look on his face and, ignoring Howard, walked right up and kissed him.

"You look . . . amazing . . ." He glanced over at Howard, who was staring determinedly at the opposite wall with his arms crossed and a look on his face that indicated he would very much like to be removed from wake up duty.

"Can we get going?" He asked the couple impatiently. Luxa took advantage of his turned back to display her queen like maturity, and stick her tongue out at him before kissing Gregor again and pulling him silently out of the room, leaving Howard alone.

"How long do you think it will take him to notice we have gone without him?" Luxa giggled.

"I dunno'. Probably not very long, but long enough to annoy him even more." Gregor couldn't help smiling too. They held hands right up until they were ready to enter the dinning chamber, but Luxa released him and told him to act as if he had never been gone. He trusted her judgment.

It turned out she had been right in her command. He strode along at her side as if he had been there his entire life. A few people glanced, but they must have assumed that with dark hair, it must have been Hazard walking with her. They reached the table, and Luxa tapped a man's shoulder. He turned to her and then flinched when she raised her arm.

His nose clearly said that this was the man who had the honor of her company the previous night. She gestured to the man and to Gregor.

"This is Darren, my fifteenth ex-fiancé. Darren, meet you my sixteenth fiancé, Gregor the Overlander." Gregor shook the man's hand and watched as realization dawned on his face. First, he seemed disappointed that he was deemed "ex", then he seemed to realize that this person standing before him was the legendary warrior who had killed the Bane and whom he had insulted only the previous night.

Luxa made a gesture that clearly meant "take a hike", and Darren, who Gregor thought he recognized from training, departed the room. The council, who had witnessed this exchange and were now beginning to register who he was as well, all began to talk at once. Only one thing got to Gregor's mind though.

"Are we to understand that you have chosen your husband, Queen Luxa?"

"If he will have me." She looked over at him with a questioning look on her face.

"Well? What say you Overlander? Do you really mean to leave your home forever?" The council member asked.

"This is my home," He turned to Luxa. "If _you_ will have _me_."

"Your family will be accommodated in my grandparents' old quarters. You will have your choice. What say you?"

"To the housing arrangements? They are very generous. Thank you, your highness." He decides to tease her a little. She steps up till their noses are almost touching. Her breath was warm and sweet on his lips. Now who was teasing who?

"Yes . . . It is very generous. Perhaps instead of free range, I should confine you to my personal quarters as a pet."

"Is that any way to treat your future husband?"

"Oh, Gregor. . . . I love you."

"I love you too, Luxa."

She leaned in the last inch and kissed him in front of the open mouthed council members.

"Oh, finally! I love weddings!" Ripred began laughing from the doorway. Gregor and Luxa turned to see the rat and Gregor's family just inside the room. Lizzy was laughing with the rat. Boots was making a yuck face. His dad was tapping his watch. _'Finally'? Or 'We'll talk later'?_ His mother . . . was smiling. He relaxed. Things would be okay.

Now that she had beaten the council's final grab for power, they seemed to lose their superiority. When she dismissed them, they all got up and left without a fuss. Gregor's family, he and Luxa, and Ripred all took places around the table.

Soon, Hazard arrived with Howard, who looked decidedly irritated by his cousin's trick. Aurora fluttered in and positioned herself beside Luxa. Twitchtip came in followed by two pups. Gregor, Luxa, Aurora, Howard, Hazard, the pups, Twitchtip, Ripred, Lizzy, Boots, Gregor's mom, and his dad sat around the table as Luxa directed. There was a seat left empty between Aurora and Howard, and two between Gregor and his dad.

Mareth and his bond arrived to take the seats next to Gregor. It was the first time he had seen the soldier and his dad talk, but they must have met before he was captured by rats.

"Who is that seat for, Luxa?"

"You will see. . . ." Luxa sounded worried. He wondered who was missing. _Bad idea. Don't think about that. He will not be here to take that seat. . . ._

Gregor stopped breathing as an enormous black bat swooped into the room and took the empty place. He stood, stared at the bat, unable to breathe or blink, then he collapsed.

He awoke with Luxa crouched over him. She was smiling, but looked very sad. "I was afraid you would react this way. . . . Meet you Apollo, Aurora's son." She did not name the father. She didn't need to. No other bat could produce the creature he saw before him.

"Nice to meet you, Apollo. . . . You look a lot like. . . ."

"I know. . . . I was warned that you may not take my presence well." Gregor now noticed the bat was much smaller than his bond had been, although still larger than most flyers. He also had bright gold markings around his eyes, along the bones in his wings, and along the edges of his ears. Still, the resemblance was unnerving.

"He was born shortly after you left. He has hoped to meet you since he could first understand the stories told him about his father." Luxa helped him to his feet and into his chair. His head was still spinning. He never knew that Aurora and. . . .

"He was not keeping things from you, Overlander. It happened while you and Luxa were in the museum. . . . He came to say his own goodbyes. I doubt either of you had much time to talk. . . ." Aurora said in her soft voice. She so rarely spoke, Gregor knew that it must be important to her.

"I know. . . . I'm glad that he got a chance to say goodbye. . . ." Gregor remembered the half hour he had spent in that room full of old junk, taking pictures with Luxa, believing he would never see her again. . . .

"Well come on! Let's eat!" Ripred broke the silence into tiny pieces. Food was served in volumes that even the rat could not finish. As he had been sure to point out the entire trip back, all he had eaten was one bowl of shrimp in cream sauce. Maybe the best in the world, but still, only one bowl.

"Oh, they're so cute! Which one's which?" Lizzy was watching the pups tumbling about on the floor.

"This one . . ." Ripred pokes the slightly larger pup gently with his tail. ". . . is Sapphire-eyes, and the other is Razorclaws. Don't let their adorable furry appearance fool you. They're absolute nightmares." He grimaced as one of them snapped their teeth down on his tail.

Lizzy tried her best not to laugh at the older rat.

After the breakfast feast, Ripred corralled Gregor and Luxa into a hallway. Lizzy was hot on his heels. "Ok you two, we're going to do this now, just the four of us." He led them to the prophecy room.

"Oh Ripred, can it not wait? Surely you do not mean to drag him away before our wedding. I will not allow that." Luxa was glaring at the rat.

"Oh no, I'm trembling with fear! Spare me your highness; I am not going to take your dear warrior away before he becomes your dear husband. Although, I did arrange for the wedding to be moved to the day after tomorrow." Ripred said casually.

"What? So soon? But I meant to spend this week preparing the arena for the ceremony!"

"I'm afraid you'll have to save it for another ceremony. Like your coronation maybe. You'll just have to make do with a simple exchange of vows and a one day party. We'll be leaving the day after."

"What gives you the right to plan my wedding? I. . . ."

"Save it!" The rat snapped at her. "He must see this now."

Luxa was shocked by Ripred's anger and fell silent. Gregor couldn't help wondering what had gotten under the rat's skin so badly.

"Alright. . . . He will see it. But can you tell me why it is so important that it be now? And why we must leave so soon?" Luxa asked more calmly.

"Yes. . . . For the next week and a half, the council has power and no hope of keeping it. I fear they will do something foolish. Once you take the throne, it will be very difficult for us to make a journey of unknown length and nature. The rest will be clearer after he reads it." The rat goes over to the wall and gives Luxa a look.

"Oh, do you need my help?"

"Luxa. . . ."

"Alright, alright! You are so irritable lately. I even had them make your favorite dish!" She placed both of her hands on the wall and pushed. A stone panel slid back and up into the wall. Gregor looked into the newly uncovered space. There was a prophecy there.

"How did you find this?"

"Nerissa saw it in a vision."

"Read it." Ripred gestured.

_A CITY NOW LOST, A GATE TO THE SKIES._

_A PROPHECY MEANT ONLY FOR THE WARRIOR'S EYES._

_MY FIRST AND MY LAST, WRITTEN AND READ,_

_IT WILL NOT BE FOUND UNTIL THE WARRIOR IS DEAD._

_FIND THE PATH MARKED HAND AND CLAW,_

_FROM WALL TO WARRIOR, FROM WARRIOR TO ALL._

_IT WILL TAKE TWO, BORN TO KILL,_

_BOTH THEIR MATES AND MORE STILL._

_ONE WHO LOVES HIM THOUGH THEY'VE NEVER MET._

_BEFORE ALL IS DONE, THERE WILL BE A THIRD YET._

_THE DEAD MAN LEADS, SEEKING LOST LIGHT._

_HE MUST SUCCEED OR DIE BEYOND SIGHT._

_DISCOVER THE SECRET WHEN THE UNDERLAND RAINS,_

_THE MONSTER, THOUGH EVIL, HAD GOOD IN ITS VEINS._

_WHEN THIS IS FINISHED, TWO ROSE FROM THE GRAVE._

_SWIFT DEATH ON WINGS AND THE ONE HE DIED TO SAVE._

"It's talking about Atlantis!" Gregor said.

"Atlantis?" Lizzy looked at them all confused.

"Yes. You will see it in good time. Don't worry." Ripred told her.

"If we are to do this now, then let us go through it line by line as Vikus would have." Luxa looked very impatient.

"Alright. Gregor read us the first two lines." Ripred gestured at the poem.

"'A city now lost, a gate to the skies, a prophecy meant only for the warrior's eyes.' The city is Atlantis. It is lost and has a gate way to the Overland. The prophecy is the one that was down the path outside the city."

"I agree. Next."

"'My first and my last, written and read, it will not be found till the warrior is dead.'"

"The prophecy outside Atlantis was the very first one he ever wrote. And the last one found."

"'Find the path marked hand and claw, from wall to warrior, from warrior to all.'"

"Well the prophecy was down a path marked by a hand and a claw. I believe this means you were to be the only one to read it, but you were then to relate it to us all."

"Alright. . . . I'll tell you when we finish this one. 'It will take two, born to kill, both their mates and more still.'"

"Two ragers and their mates. Or mate and wife in this case." Lizzy chimed in.

"'One who loves him, though they've never met, before all is done there will be a third yet.'"

"Maybe Apollo? He has loved Gregor in honor of his father long before they met today. But there are already five people mentioned. How can there be a third?" Luxa said.

"I don't know. . . ." Ripred stared at the wall. "Sandwich makes things intentionally complicated for a reason. Maybe it means a third rat, or a third human. Go on."

"'The dead man leads, seeking lost light. He must succeed or die beyond sight.'"

"Obviously it means that the warrior will lead the journey, since Sandwich has already deemed him dead. And somehow, over the course of this venture, the warrior will live again. We should be prepared to fight then." Luxa said.

"Yes, I think you are right about that."

"'Discover the secret when the Underland rains, the monster, though evil, had good in its veins.'"

"Ripred has told me what rain is, but it does not rain here." Luxa said.

"I had a dream about it raining here. . . ." Lizzy looked lost in thought.

"Really? Do you remember anything else from the dream?" Ripred was immediately interested.

"Well, there was a moving stone wall, but it wasn't the one in front of the prophecy. . . . That's really all I can remember now. . . ."

"It may still prove useful if this dream has some reality to it. The monster was the Bane before, but I cannot imagine any good in that creature. It would seem to me that he had a child that turned out to be good, but I doubt even Twirltongue would have been his mate."

"Maybe it meant it in a more metaphorical sense. Such as spilling his blood bringing peace." Luxa suggested.

"Perhaps. It is a much less unsettling thought."

"'When this is finished, two rose from the grave, swift death on wings, and the one he died to save.'"

"Apollo is the very reincarnation of his father in his size, strength, and much of his personality." Luxa said

"Yes, and no one could deny your bond the title of swift death on wings after seeing him fight." Ripred agreed.

"And since he died to save the warrior, that would support the idea that the warrior must come back." Lizzy added.

"Yes. So Gregor, I, Luxa, Twitchtip, and Apollo will go. Aurora will of course accompany us as well. We will first travel to the plains of Tartarus since the Bane is one of our few leads. Then from there, we will go to Atlantis and see if there is anything we have missed there." Ripred said.

Gregor felt sick. He was going to see whatever was left of his bond and the bane. . . . Maybe scavengers had already removed the bodies. . . . Or maybe, with the cool air, he would not even be completely decomposed. . . . He didn't know which would be worse. Probably whichever was true.

"It will be alright Gregor. . . . It is unlikely there will be anything left but bones after so long. . . . With the end of the war we were not able to go back for his body, but we held a ceremony for him none the less."

"Thank you Luxa. . . . I am sure he would rather have been allowed to remain where he died anyway. . . ."

"Now, tell us this other prophecy. Line by line again." Ripred would not let him dwell on his pain.

"'Our life and death are one we two, has never before rung so true.'"

"I think that must mean the warrior and his bond. In a way, they both died." Luxa was holding his hand now as he recited the prophecy from memory.

"'The warrior, strong, has been made weak. Of what killed him, he cannot speak.'"

"He killed himself though. . . ."

"Perhaps it is something to do with the first set of lines. They both died, so what if that is actually what killed the warrior? His bond's death?" Lizzy said. Ripred nodded.

"Yes. I believe that is true. It was clear that part of you never came back from that battle."

"'The dead must rise, to fight the dead, or all this land will be made red.'" Gregor continued to avoid speaking.

"The warrior must rise to fight some enemy we thought gone. . . . Perhaps the diggers are planning to launch an attack." Luxa looked worried.

"It is possible. They saw how easy it was to enter the arena before, when we already in a state of war. A sneak attack could easily destroy our defenses." Ripred seemed to have given this possibility some thought.

"'The path of war will show the way, for lost lights to shine this day.'"

"If there is a war, then that is the time for the warrior to live." Lizzy said.

"Actually, next to the path marked with a hand and claw, there was a second path, marked by a hand and a sword. A 'path of war' in a sense." Ripred suggested.

"Then we will have to go there as well when we go to Atlantis." Luxa said.

"'The end in sight, a ghost of the past, will raise the dead so peace might last.'"

"This unknown lost enemy will cause the warrior to come back to us, and somehow this will bring peace?" Luxa seemed confused.

"So it would seem. . . . At the very least, we must go to find out what this threat is." Ripred said.

"'The warrior's heart, once lost to all, will beat again at destiny's call.'"

"The warrior will live again because he will have a purpose again. A war, being a warrior's destiny?" Ripred wondered.

"Does that mean I will die again when the war is over?" Gregor asked.

"I doubt it. Our goal is peace, but it is unlikely it will be easy to gain or to keep. This is still a dangerous world. There will be more wars yet, Overlander." Ripred said.

"Great. . . ."

"There is more to your destiny than war though, Gregor. You will not just be a warrior. You will be a husband. And a king. And eventually, maybe a father." Luxa leaned against him. He smiled. She was right. He was more than just a warrior.

"Is that all?" Ripred asked.

"Yeah. Oh. It was called The Prophecy of the Warrior." He looked at the poem beneath the panel. The Prophecy of Prophecies. How fitting.

"Well, then you may all go. You have three days till we depart, and they will be a very fast three days. One is your wedding, and today is half over." Ripred dismissed them. Lizzy followed him out of the room.

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><p><em><strong>I've had people express amazement at my prophecy writing skills. I hadn't realized it was difficult until it was pointed out. Now it is. Curse you.<strong>_

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	5. Broken

_**Author's Note - I've only written one horror-ish story, but it was fun. Expect more nightmares in the future. There are some characters in some fandoms who just really work for terror and blood. On another note, should dreams be done in italics to separate them, or should they be left alone so that you don't know it's a dream until it is over? I have no idea. I've done it both ways at different times.**_

_****_Disclaimer - I own nothing. Well... I own my socks, but that's about it. The Underland Chronicles belongs to Suzanne Collins, and if you haven't already, you should go read the Hunger Games Trilogy as well. If the fantastic authoress herself should ever stumble upon this, she is welcome to it. Any part or whole of this story is hers for the taking, cause i'd love to see a sixth book._****_

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><p><strong>Chapter 5 - Broken<strong>

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><p><em>"We have done the impossible, and that makes us mighty." - Malcolm Reynolds<em>

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><p>His sword was in his hand. He didn't remember drawing it, or even retrieving it. His vision was different and it took him a few moments to recognize the sensation of his rager side retracting combined with using his echolocation. He glanced around. Blood. Bones. Bodies. He began to panic. What had he done? He had not lost control since the fight with the twisters. . . . The blood was being contained by the high edges of the cavern floor and was up to his ankles.<p>

So much blood. . . . A small trickle of water ran down a wall into the blood. So many bones. Huge bones. Ribs longer than his arms. Some barely sticking out of the blood. Maybe it got deeper in the middle of the cavern. . . .

And the bodies. . . . Gnawers . . . flyers . . . diggers . . . nibblers . . . crawlers . . . and humans. Why would he have killed these Underlanders even as a rager? Or had they been dead when he got here? But he knew, deep down, that he was the one responsible. . . .

He dropped his sword and it vanished into the pool of blood. He fell to his knees and began searching for it. He felt more bones below the surface. He caught the hilt and drew out the blade. But it was too short, and it had a jagged tip.

He remembered his hands bleeding after he snapped the blade in half. He swung it around, feeling its new balance. He saw something reflected in the blade in torchlight that he had not noticed before. He turned and stared in horror.

Luxa's body was there at his feet, her blood spilling into the ever growing pool of crimson. He cradled her head in his lap, but she was long since gone from him. He could feel his hot tears washing down his face, but they turned red from the splatters on his cheeks.

The red tears fell against her face like rain. He heard a voice. A familiar voice. He saw Nerissa standing in the archway that lead out of the cavern. "Do you understand, Warrior?"

"Why are they dead?" He could not think. He felt hollow inside. As if his heart had been ripped from its place. He was terrified that it did not feel new to him.

"What makes you think they are dead?"

She is bleeding... A thin stream of blood begins trailing down from her hair line. She doesn't seem to notice. She is thinner than ever. Almost transparent. Pale as the corpses around them both. She grins at him.

"Maybe you are the one who is no longer alive, Warrior? It does seem you are walking in the land of the dead." He had never been so terrified in his life as he was of Nerissa now.

"Stop calling me that! I killed the Warrior!"

"No . . . . No, you can't kill a dead man. The fire has been gone from your eyes and heart for longer than you believed. You died with him, as you promised!" She points behind him. He turns to see a dark figure rising from the deepest part of the pool.

The blood poured off his fur in rivers and his wings took shape out of the carnage. Flesh was crawling up his skeleton and reforming his body. The gaping hole in his neck still poured blood that should have run dry long ago.

He flapped feebly, like a baby bird, but the effort caused him to begin dissolving back into the sludge. Gregor's eyes would not shut. His head would not turn. He wanted to scream, but he had not breathed in since the ghastly figure had risen before him.

He started breathing and screaming as the animated body of his bond began dragging itself towards him. It could not speak. Only emit a terrible gurgling noise as air and blood spurted through the mortal wound.

Lizzy shook him awake.

"Gregor! Get up! You look like you need a doctor!" She sounded like the timid little girl she was four years ago again. He looked around. He was in the room Lizzy had picked out in the area assigned to his family.

"What. . . . It's nothing. . . . Go back to sleep. . . ." She giggled a little hysterically and hiccupped.

"Sleep? After this? No one should have nightmares bad enough to make someone else afraid to sleep! You look like something out of a nightmare yourself." He looked down at his hands. He could have passed for an ill Underlander for all the color in his skin. He was shaking as bad as his father had when he was still sick from the pestilence.

"Did. . . . Did I say anything Liz?" He was trying to even out his breathing, put he could not help drawing breaths in shuddering, halting gasps. The nightmares had been getting worse for years, but they had escalated to an all new level tonight.

"No. . . . Your jaws were clamped so tight I was afraid you would hurt yourself! You were stiff as a board and sweating and shaking. . . ." She was on the edge of a panic attack. She had not had one since they had gone back to New York four years ago.

"It's alright Liz. . . . It was just a bad dream." He put his arms around her and tried to calm her as she started sobbing.

"What were you dreaming about?" She whispered when she had gotten control again.

"I don't know. . . . It was confusing. . . . And I don't want to give you nightmares. Why were you up? Did _you _have a bad dream, too?" He still hadn't stopped shaking completely.

"Yeah, but it was a while ago. I couldn't get back to sleep, so I went and talked to Ripred. I got back and found you like that. . . ." He wished she had woken him instead of Ripred. Then he wouldn't have had that dream.

"What time is it?"

"Almost morning. Ripred was already awake and was about to go start preparing something for the journey."

"Oh. . . . Let's go get some breakfast. Maybe it will take our minds off this some." He tried to stand, but ended up stumbling and falling against the wall. Lizzy gasped and supported him.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah. . . . Please don't tell Mom and Dad, okay? Not Luxa either. . . . They don't need to worry about me."

"I'm worried enough for all of them, Gregor. . . . Has this happened before?" He had enough strength back in his legs to stand on his own.

"Nightmares, yes. The being stiff and pale and sweating and weak is new though. . . . But it was probably a one-time thing."

"I hope so. . . . You should shower. You still look like a walking corpse. . . . And Luxa isn't stupid. If you meet her looking like that, I won't need to tell her." He decided she was right and went to clean up.

He felt better after a warm bath. He was clean and relaxed and had some color back. He was already loosing his tan. He wondered for a moment how long it would take to be as pale as the native Underlanders.

Luxa's smile was enough to push the dream to the back of his mind. She took his hand and spent the morning dragging him through the city. She showed him all the new structures that had been completed while he was away, the finished repairs, the repairs that still needed to be done, plans for expansion, and when she actually heard his stomach growl, they went and ate lunch.

"You should have told me you did not eat breakfast! I would have had something prepared before we went out." She was dressed like her old self. A simple, practical outfit, that suited her perfectly. She carried a three sided sword and Solovet's dagger.

"Luxa. . . ." He tried to sound casual. He didn't want her to have reason to ask questions regarding his dream. "What happened to the remains of Sandwich's sword?"

"They are in the museum. It was agreed that it was your sword, and since you were an Overlander, it belonged there as much as anywhere. Why?"

"I was just curious. I mean, I will probably have to have a new sword now that I'm living down here." She smiled.

"We will go to the armory and find something of a similar style later. Perhaps after dinner. It is generally empty down there then. Oh! Mareth has requested we come to training after this to demonstrate for the trainees."

"Demonstrate?"

"Gymnastics and cannon practice."

"Blood balls?"

"Mhm. We do not have to go if you would rather we not." He could tell she meant it. But he kind of did want to go. He wanted to make sure he was still in full control of his rager abilities. And he wanted to see Mareth some more, since they had not talked much at dinner the night before.

"I think it sounds like fun. I haven't been able to really practice for years."

"Ha! You will still be perfect and you know it!" She laughed at him. He couldn't help but smile himself. She was probably right. Hadn't Ripred told him that his abilities wouldn't go away? He had practiced at home some. At least he had done what he considered practice.

Whenever his parents were both out, he and Lizzy would go to their back yard, and she would throw tennis balls at him. He would try to catch them with his eyes closed. She had tried to come up with a variety of ways to help him get better control, but none would be as good as real practice.

"We probably shouldn't keep him waiting. He's on the field, right?"

"Yes. You know . . . I could never pressure you to make such a decision, but you are allowed to bond again, and I believe you would get along well with Apollo."

"I'm sure I would. . . . But I'm not ready yet. Being back here, it's kind of like no time has passed since he died. . . ."

"I understand. You will just have to ride with me on Aurora."

Mareth was as energetic as ever. It was incredible the way he could move with the fake leg. He could still run faster than everyone but Gregor. He could no longer handle some of the more complicated acrobatic things he used to, but he didn't seem down about it.

"I always dislike teaching gymnastics." He whispered to Gregor as Luxa did an awe inspiring performance of twisty flippy things. "I was never very good, and it made me queasy doing things like that for very long."

"It looks like Luxa could teach this section for you pretty well." He whispered back as the children lined up to try.

"Oh yes. I request her help a few times a month. If we had not been doing cannon practice, I would not have stolen her away from you today, though."

"It's alright, Mareth. I'm going to be here for quite a while, and I can't have her all to myself the whole time."

"Hahaha! You seem to think you have a choice in the matter! If Queen Luxa decides she is going to spend every waking moment with you, then I dare say she will do just that."

"I can't argue with that, but I know she'll take care of Regalia. She's responsible when she needs to be."

"It seems you know her quite well. I have no doubt that she will make a most excellent ruler. Ah! It is your time to shine, Overlander!" Three Underlanders were pushing the cannons into place. He picked a sword from the training area that didn't feel too off balance and then stepped into place.

The rager sensation flooded through him as he focused on the task at hand, but it in no way consumed him, as it once had. He was able to count each projectile as he cut it out of the air. To his surprise, they were splattering him with a fluorescent green rather than a blood red liquid.

"They aren't filled with red stuff?" He asked Mareth after he had been congratulated and praised and gawked at by the onlookers.

"We have some of these in storage. They are better for practice in poorly lit areas, but I thought they would be a wise choice today." He covertly pointed to the stands where Gregor saw his parents sitting. Yes. He did not want them to have the same initial reaction he had.

"Thanks, Mareth."

"It is nothing of consequence. They are nearly expired anyway. They barely glow anymore. We will have to get more from the Fount soon." The soldier allowed him and Luxa to go back to their wandering.

"Do you need anything for your quarters? They have not been much changed since Vikus passed away." Luxa asked Gregor's parents as they met at the edge of the field.

"We have more than we could ever need. You have been more than generous to us. Is there any way we can make some sort of payment?" His dad asked.

"You brought Gregor back to me . . . I am the one who should be grateful. You need not worry about payment. However, if you wish a way to occupy your time in a familiar way, you could teach the children of Regalia many things that no one else could. If you are interested, I will have arrangements made for you to teach any age group you choose."

Gregor's dad smiled. He loved teaching. He had been so happy when he got his old job back. It must have been one of the things he missed most about New York.

"I would be honored. Thank you." Gregor's mother was smiling now too. She looked stressed most of the time, but every time she saw how happy they all were, she relaxed a little more.

"It will be seen to as soon as possible. Perhaps you would like to sit in on some of our standard classes to gauge where you should start?"

"Yes, that would be very helpful. And I'm sure I will learn plenty myself."

Something was going on in the middle of the field. Gregor and Luxa turned around as Lizzy ran flat out for the spot. Ripred was there gesturing for people to clear out some space. Gregor wondered if the rat was going to do a demonstration of his spinning fighting style.

Lizzy stopped a few feet in front of her friend. Ripred sat up on his back legs facing her and extended his paw to her. She pressed her palm to the pads of his paw. The old rager's voice was loud and clear across the arena.

_"LIZZY THE CODEBREAKER, I BOND TO YOU._

_OUR LIFE AND DEATH ARE ONE, WE TWO._

_IN DARK, IN FLAME, IN WAR, IN STRIFE._

_I SAVE YOU AS I SAVE MY LIFE."_

_"RIPRED THE PEACEMAKER, I BOND TO YOU._

_OUR LIFE AND DEATH ARE ONE, WE TWO._

_IN DARK, IN FLAME, IN WAR, IN STRIFE._

_I SAVE YOU AS I SAVE MY LIFE."_

Luxa was the first to recover and began clapping. Gregor followed suit and then his family. Soon the entire arena was filled with applause.

"It is about time, do you not think?" Luxa said to him.

"Yeah. I was kind of surprised they waited more than ten minutes after she got back here."

"Well, there was already a great deal going on. And I think he was a bit stressed. He has been since he found Atlantis. But I think he is getting better now." She wrapped her arm around his. "Of course he timed this quite perfectly. . . ."

"What do you mean?" Gregor walked with her toward the new bonds.

"Tomorrow is our wedding. He is to get _two_ feasts the two days before we depart." Luxa shook her head. Gregor laughed.

"I bet Lizzy was in on it."

"You are probably right. They will become quite a terror with so much free time together. Oh, well. What is life without a little excitement?"

Ripred did indeed seem to be pleased with himself when the chefs rolled out several large bowls of his favorite shrimp in cream sauce.

After the feast, which had taken place immediately and was sure to push dinner much later in the day, Luxa and Gregor went to the armory. They went through the racks of swords and tried out every size, shape, and style they could find for him.

None felt right in his hand. None had the same feeling of belonging that Sandwich's sword had. None felt like a deadly extension of his arm when he held it. These were just sharp pieces of metal. They could be anyone's. They _were _anyone's.

"Who made Sandwich's sword?" Gregor asked as he examined another weapon.

"No one knows. The history of our early days, especially the parts about Sandwich, has a lot of holes. Many things were either not recorded, or lost to time. However, it is clear that he did not have it in the Overland, and he did have it when he led our people to Regalia."

"So he could have found it in Atlantis?"

"It is possible. That is certainly Ripred's theory. Many of our historians believe that he made it himself though. I am not sure. It is obvious he was a master stone worker, but metal is quite different. And as for simply finding it. . . . Would not the city's creators have taken their weapons with them when they left?"

"Maybe they were driven out. They probably wouldn't have had a chance to go back and grab their swords. And if it isn't the only one of its kind, maybe there was just an extra when they left."

"I suppose. . . . What difference does it make? Are you considering searching that city for a new sword? I think that more would have been found had more existed. How about this one?"

He spun the blade a few times through the air and frowned at it. "Maybe the warrior in me really is dead. None of these feel right to me anymore." Luxa hugged him and then started pulling him along the halls of the palace.

"Some of our stories say that Sandwich would not use any weapon but his own sword. He claimed that it was a part of him. That it was a common blade but an uncommon bond. Sort of like if you had an arm removed and someone else offered theirs in its place. Their arm is no better and no worse, but it is not yours."

"That pretty much sums up what it feels like. As if I'm trying to use someone else's arm. But what can I do about it?" He was being pulled along familiar paths and found himself being tugged into the museum.

"Get your old arm back of course." Luxa reached up and gently took a stone box with a sliding lid from a shelf. He opened the box and grasped the handle. He didn't really know what he had been expecting. Maybe just familiarity. Comfort of something he recognized. Certainly not the immense relief that swept through him now.

"It's like taking a breath after a long time underwater. . . ." Luxa gave him a curious look but didn't push him. He swung the jagged blade a few times. It was perfect. Almost two feet long, it was too short to be a true sword, but not short enough to be a dagger.

"I will have a sheath made for you if you like." She was watching him closely. He was staring at the blade. So many memories. For a moment, he was back on the plains of Tartarus. He could see the battle as clear as day reflected in the metal. Luxa brought him back to reality by waving her hand in front of his face.

"Yeah . . . thanks. I'd probably cut myself on it otherwise." He smiled at her. She took the sword from his hand and he reluctantly opened his fingers for her. He would trust her if it really was his arm, so there was no reason not to trust her with his sword.

"Come on. We spent longer than I expected. It will be dinner soon." She was about to pull him out again when he saw something on a shelf. He reached over and picked up the stack of photos. Most of the things in the museum were covered in a layer of dust. These were not.

"My mom brought a camera and a lot of film. When we get back from this, we'll take some more pictures." She leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed.

"I would not have been able to handle the past four years without these. . . . Ripred and Mareth took to looking for me here instead of my room."

"Why didn't you take them up to your room?"

"Because this is where we first kissed. . . ." She kissed his cheek just to prove the point. "This is where that memory lives for me. There were times I could almost feel you here with me. Just like we were that first time. . . . Come. Dinner. Ripred will be getting impatient. They do not serve until I arrive."

"He had his own personal feast! I think he can deal with you taking your time." They linked hands and began their trek up to the dining hall.

"So . . . are you ready for tomorrow?" She gave him a beautiful half smile as they walked.

"Tomorrow. . . . Oh! I . . . I am not sure exactly. I am nervous. In the Overland, getting married at sixteen just doesn't really happen anymore. Usually you have to be eighteen or older I think. But I know that two years won't change how I feel any more than four did. So I may not be entirely ready, but I have no regrets and no doubts."

"I see. . . . Things are very different here. It is common for girls, particularly royalty, to marry between fourteen and sixteen. It is usually more due to tradition or politics, but my parents refused to prearrange my marriage. I never really gave marriage much thought until I met you. . . ."

"You mean your parents could have chosen who you would be marrying tomorrow?"

"Yes. It is customary. They were an arranged marriage. As were Vikus and Solovet. My position of being able to choose who I marry is actually quite unique. I am eternally grateful to my parents for allowing me to make this decision."

"I am too. . . ."

"Oh, do not worry so much. You know that I do not allow others to make my decisions for me. I would have found a way out of any marriage that did not suit me." He grinned. He did not envy the hypothetical ill-suited fiancé. Images of a faceless man being tossed in the waterway with no means of travel or sold to the nibblers came to mind.

"I believe that." They entered the dining room.

"Been catching up have we? Forgot that some of us are dependent upon your royal presence for our sustenance?"

"Oh, shut up, Ripred. You know there are very few as capable of feeding themselves as you. And you were so full after the feast you could barely move!" Luxa shook her head. She looked around the table. Mareth, Twitchtip, Aurora, Andromeda, and Gregor's family were the only ones present.

"Where's Lizzy?" Gregor asked his mother, but Ripred answered.

"Babysitting the pups. She has been adoring them since our feast, and wasn't hungry."

"I almost stayed too. . . . They are adorable. As giant rats go." His mother said. He laughed.

Dinner took a long time. No one but Ripred was actually hungry enough for a meal, and everyone there wanted to talk to each other. When Lizzy walked into the room an hour and a half later, most people had not finished an entire plate of food.

Gregor was immediately worried. Lizzy looked as nervous and scared as she had been four years ago. She walked immediately to Ripred and tapped him on the shoulder. In a flash they were both walking out of the room. I stood and found Luxa right beside me.

We followed my sister and her bond up to the prophecy room. Lizzy started talking in a rush.

"Oh, Ripred, I'm so sorry! I'm a terrible babysitter!"

"No you're not! Now calm down and tell me what happened."

Lizzy nodded and pointed up. Hanging upside down from the door frame, shaking in fear, was Ripred's son. The old rager began laughing.

"We came in here cause I thought they might like to see the Prophecy of the Peacemaker, but he walked right up onto what we all thought was a pile of rags, but it was really Nerissa asleep on the floor, and she screamed, and he ran straight up the wall and then he was too afraid to come down, and it's all my fault!" Lizzy didn't seem to know what to make of Ripred's laughing.

"Lizzy, if I had left your brother in charge, he would have climbed up after him and got stuck himself. I want someone who is capable of asking for help when they need it to watch my pups. You did wonderfully." Gregor blushed a little as Luxa giggled at the thought.

"R-really?" Lizzy looked hopeful.

"Yes. Really. Now let's see about this little furball. . . . Gregor, go get a few cookies and come back here."

Gregor was puzzled, but did as he was told. When he returned, Lizzy was smiling and Nerissa, who had been huddled in a corner, was now sitting up while Luxa held her. In fact, the only person who wasn't completely past the situation was the poor animal hanging from the door frame.

In a few moments, Lizzy had implemented a simple plan that Gregor would never have thought of, but she and Ripred had come to instantly. She held the baby's back and gave it cookies until it relaxed and let go.

All in all it had been a good day. Gregor and Luxa walked hand in hand back to his family's quarters. At the curtained entrance, Luxa gave him a quick kiss before vanishing down the halls to her rooms. Gregor entered to find Mareth and his parents talking.

". . . . The ceremony will be held in the high hall. Due to the rush before they depart on this quest, it will be decidedly small by our usual wedding standards. But, when they return and take the throne, I feel certain Queen Luxa will see to it that they are not short changed on their celebration."

"How many people will be there?" His mother asked.

"Well under a hundred will be allowed in for the actual ceremony. Many more will attend the reception afterwards though. Nearly a thousand are expected to attend. We have too few occasions to celebrate in recent years, and do not like to let those opportunities pass us by."

"Will they have any time to practice or prepare? They must be nervous."

"Unfortunately, no. However, it is a very simple ceremony. No more complicated than becoming bonds, and no less binding. In fact, a number of couples throughout our history have chosen to exchange the Vows of Bonding at their weddings. You need not worry about them. There will be relatively few watching, and I have yet to see either of them back out of something because they didn't know what they were doing."

"One of us always knows what we're doing!" Gregor interjected, feigning offence at the accusation.

"Oh, really?" Mareth countered. "And, pray tell, which of you knew what you were doing when you were in the jungle?"

"Uh. . . . That was a rare exception." Gregor acknowledged and grinned.

"What happened in the jungle, Gregor?" His mother asked. He froze.

"Well, neither of us was really much help most of the time. We ended up being more of a hindrance a few times. It just didn't go quite as smoothly as some other quests did." That was true. Kind of.

"Oh? So you're saying that four people died the first trip, nearly everyone was in the jaws of death at one time or another the second time around, and God only knows the other times, and they went smoothly compared to this?" His mother was not in a good mood now.

"I . . . . Uh . . . . I mean. . . ." Gregor was trying to find a way to salvage this.

"He means it had its own terrors, just like they all did, and he does not wish you to worry. He made it back. It's in the past, Grace." His dad saved his skin again. "You should probably try to get to sleep. Big day tomorrow."

"What? Oh. Yeah. Good idea." Only when he laid down, and tried to slip into sleep, did his nightmare begin to come back to him.

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><p><em><strong>Lizzy rocks!<strong>_

_**Read and Review!**_


	6. Family

_**Author's Note - The Underland Chronicles have such a small cast, i imagine almost every original character will be accounted for over the course of this story. **_

_****_Disclaimer - I own nothing. Well... I own my socks, but that's about it. The Underland Chronicles belongs to Suzanne Collins, and if you haven't already, you should go read the Hunger Games Trilogy as well. If the fantastic authoress herself should ever stumble upon this, she is welcome to it. Any part or whole of this story is hers for the taking, cause i'd love to see a sixth book._****_

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><p><strong>Chapter 6 - Family<strong>

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><p><em>"If I win, I'm a prodigy. If I lose, then i'm mad. That's the way history was written." - Artemis Fowl II<em>

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><p>"Gregor wake up!" Lizzy was grinning at him. Maybe she was just happy that he didn't look like he had the previous morning. Of course he didn't. He couldn't have nightmares if he didn't sleep.<p>

After he woke up the first two times, he decided it was probably best to just stay up and try again tomorrow.

"I'm up, Liz. I was just practicing my echolocation," He had gotten so good at it that he could now use just his breathing and ambient noise anytime he concentrated.

If he was in a quiet room, he could pick up a panoramic image of the entire room; detecting objects he could not have seen due to obstruction if he were relying on his eyes.

"Well, you'll have plenty of time for that in the dungeon if you're late for your own wedding!" He sat up straight. Oh, yeah. His wedding.

"I'll be ready in a minute. How long do I have?" He was already pulling on one of the dressy looking shirts that Mareth had brought by the previous night.

"Twenty minutes to be in the high hall." Lizzy was bouncing from foot to foot. She was already dressed up. She had probably been up for hours making sure every hair on her head was perfect.

"I'll be there in ten," He had already had a shower after his second nightmare, so he just had to get dressed and run.

"Mareth is waiting in the hall when you're ready. He'll tell you anything you don't already know on the way there." With that she slipped out of the room. He knew his mother was compulsively punctual, so they were probably on their way now.

He met Mareth outside and the two made record time to the high hall. They paused outside to catch their breaths. It was customary for the bonds of the betrothed to accompany their humans in the ceremony, similar to a best man or father of the bride in Overland weddings. Mareth was to accompany Gregor instead.

He was finally beginning to feel nervous. He imagined this must be similar to what Lizzy felt when she had a panic attack. He could feel his rager side desperate to do something, but there was nothing it could do.

He needn't have worried. Once he was standing in front of the small group of spectators, all he could see was Luxa. An ancient looking bat read from a scroll for about ten minutes, then they were required to hold hands and repeat a vow line by line.

Gregor was surprised by some of the guests. Dulcet had been invited, and an even greater surprise, Markus had come as well. He saw Nerissa and all of Howard's family. He was glad to see that they had made it through the war with the Bane.

He noticed also that Stellovet was glaring at Luxa more than usual. A look which only intensified when Gregor kissed her.

The party was reminiscent of Hazard's birthday, only with more adults. Gregor was not remotely surprised when Luxa demanded he dance with her. He had improved some. Partly due to his rager side, he felt sure. Increased reflexes were a great asset when dancing with someone as talented as Luxa.

After several dances, both of them were winded and went to take a break on one of the benches surrounding the dance floor. It seemed that the top two floors of the palace had been completely reserved for their wedding. After the ceremony, they had all gone down one floor to an enormous banquet.

At the same time, the high hall had been cleared of seats and converted to a dance floor. For the rest of the evening people filtered up and down between the two. Talk, eat, dance, repeat.

Gregor was not surprised to find that Ripred spent most of the time on the second floor. Luxa went to dance with Hazard for a bit while Gregor took a break to talk to Twitchtip and Ripred.

"How does it feel to be king, Overlander?" Ripred laughed.

"Uh . . . no different than before. I'm not really going to be in charge, though. Luxa is. I know nothing about running a country."

"True. But people will look to you for guidance. Not that they didn't already, but now more than ever. Warrior of the prophecies _and_ king? At least in war, no one will question you. That is a big responsibility." Gregor thought about it. He had once again not considered all the things that went along with marrying Luxa.

"Do you think you could teach me?"

"Teach you? You want me to teach you to make the right decisions in war? I couldn't even teach you echolocation! And once again, you would be better off in the hands of Solovet if you wish to learn quickly."

"Yeah, but she's dead, and she didn't teach me echolocation. She just stuck me in the dungeon and it clicked."

"Well, I suppose you're right on both counts. Mareth would probably be a close second. And he is far more patient." The rat seemed more interested in a new batch of shrimp in cream sauce the chefs were wheeling out.

"Don't worry too much, Overlander. You have managed well enough so far, and many people have been looking to you for guidance long before today. I have yet to see you lead them wrong." Twitchtip laughed at her mate and snatched the food from under his nose, downing half the bowl herself before returning it to the shocked rat.

"Thanks, Twitchtip." He was about to go find Luxa again when someone caught his arm.

"It has been such a long time since I last saw you, Warrior! Do I not get some greeting?" Stellovet pouted at him. He was immediately on guard.

She was wearing a short dress that fell to midthigh, and was held up by a thin strip behind her neck. It fit her curves perfectly and glimmered when she moved. She smelled like the silver flowers from the Vineyard of Eyes.

"Uh . . . hi. How have you been?" He tried to be polite, even though his mind was sending him commands ranging from "Kiss her," to "Kill her."

"Oh, I am just fantastic! How do you like my dress? I had it specially made for this occasion." She stepped within a foot of him and twirled. The back was open down to just above her hips, and the sides were slit up nearly as high. The only thing that seemed to hold the middle to her body was a thin black belt that contrasted strikingly with the red silk.

"It's very nice. I haven't seen much color in the clothing down here." He focused on her face as she stepped uncomfortably close to him.

"Oh, yes. It is very expensive to have the silk died. It is considered a luxury and most must go without it. I noticed my cousin's dress was quite plain." Stellovet grabbed his wrists and pulled him over to the table.

She made sure he sat first and sat as close as possible without actually being in his lap. He tried to scoot away a bit, but she had him against a wall. Literally. He began hoping that Luxa would come looking for him. He glanced over at Ripred and Twitchtip, but they were busy with their pups.

"Luxa's dress is amazing. Besides, in the Overland white dresses are customary at weddings." He kept his eyes on the wall, the floor, the table, and pretty much anything that wasn't a scantily clad woman sitting inappropriately close to him.

"I suppose. But surely you wouldn't mind some . . . variety in your life?" She leaned forward towards him slightly.

"Actually, a little consistency would be nice. Who needs variety when you get into as many messes as we do?" He saw her smile noticeably shrink at that.

"You know you have probably disappointed a lot of girls with this wedding. You are handsome, exotic, talented, and a deadly warrior. And famous, too. And here you are married to the first girl you met down here. Did not even give another girl a chance." She looked him up and down as she spoke.

"It wouldn't have mattered who I met first. I would have still gone on all those adventures with her, and I still would have fallen in love with her." This time, Stellovet's smile disappeared completely.

"Still. You never even gave another girl a chance. At least not another Underland girl. You probably had more girls that you could deal with back above ground."

"No. I had one female friend, but we were just friends. She's dating another friend of mine."

"Ah. Well. . . . Surely Luxa is not the only Underlander you find attractive?" She put a hand on his knee as she leaned even closer.

"I need to be getting back to the dance." He did not like where this was going.

"I shall accompany you then. Perhaps if Luxa is busy, you can dance with me. I wouldn't want to leave you in the hands of someone with . . . questionable intentions." She stood and offered her hand to him.

"Cousin, please go back up stairs and quit harassing my husband." Gregor sighed in relief. Luxa leaned in the doorway looking at him in amusement

"I am not harassing him. Just letting him know that you are not the only woman around who he can have an enjoyable time with." Stellovet's glare was now back in full force as she stormed up the stairs.

"What took you so long? I was afraid I was going to have to dance with her!" Luxa just laughed at him.

"I think you handled her quite admirably. Although I can't help but wish she had kissed you so I would have a good excuse to have her executed . . ." He gave her a surprised look. "Gregor, I am kidding. She has just been an even greater pain than usual."

"What's going on with her?" Gregor asked.

"She decided that she liked you, once she found out you were a hero, and with that she also decided I had cruelly turned you against her in an attempt to steal you for myself." Luxa held his hand as they slowly made their way back to the high hall.

"You didn't turn me against her. I decided I didn't like her all on my own." Luxa grinned and kissed him.

"You sure know how to charm a girl. This day will be the happiest of my life for two reasons now." Now it was Gregor's turn to laugh.

"Just promise never to leave me alone with her again." He smiled at her.

"I promise. I think I have had enough dancing for one day. What do you say to a walk? The palace will be nearly empty with everyone at the party. We have the halls to ourselves." She stopped and faced him.

"Lead the way." She smiled at his response and pulled him through the crowd to the main stairway. He followed her through several halls and soon found himself standing in the old nursery.

"Gregor. . . . When we have children someday. . . . They may spend a lot of their time here. Did you know that since the mouse pups have all been claimed after the war, we have begun using this one again?" She had her eyes fixed on the turtle.

"No . . . do you think Dulcet will be the one to take care of them?"

"When both of us have other duties, I will be sure it is she. However, hopefully we will have peace by then and will have the time ourselves. I would like that. . . . Perhaps we could put Howard in charge for a few years. . . ." She leaned against him.

"He'd make a good king. You'd make an excellent mother. Of course I haven't seen you attempt anything and not excel at it yet." He put an arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

"You will make a great king as well. . . . And great father. . . ." She smiled up at him. Then she frowned. "I have been having nightmares."

"Me too. . . . But I've been having nightmares for years. Since I left. Do you want to tell me about them?" She sat on one of the small beds and sighed.

"I do not know. . . . The night after we went over the prophecies was the worst. . . . I . . . I dreamed that you were dead. Not like you would think though. . . . You were still walking around and talking . . . I would not have noticed if I had not noticed . . . you had no pulse." She paused and reached out, putting a hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat and relaxing a bit.

"Go on."

"Well, Nerissa was there, and she was the same as you. She had no pulse. She started talking and it made my skin crawl. I wanted to run from her. She scared me more than Queen Wevox did. . . ." She leaned against him and he could feel her heavy breathing.

"It's alright, Luxa. . . . It was only a dream. I'm alive. And I'm here with you." She hiccupped and they stood. "Where to next?"

"The museum." She led the way again and soon they were sitting on pile of coats in the corner going through pictures again.

"My mom was taking pictures all day. She'll probably let us take some." He smiled at one of them sticking their tongues out at the camera in the very same spot four years before.

"That would be nice . . . . Oh. I almost forgot why I brought you down here." She stood and took something off of a shelf and handed it to him. His sword, and a simple sheath on a belt.

"Thank you so much, Luxa. . . ." He hugged her and she laughed.

"Some warrior, carrying a broken sword." She gave him a half smile. "It is getting late." She led him back through the palace to the royal quarters. He walked her to her room and was surprised when she caught his arm.

"Luxa?"

"You are my husband now, and since we leave on this journey tomorrow, tonight is what an Overlander would call our honeymoon I believe. It will also be expected that you will sleep with me from now on . . . . Unless you would rather not." She held his gaze and his hands, waiting.

He stepped into her arms and on a whim, scooped her up in his, carrying her into her own room.

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><p><em><strong>Remember those implied sexytimes i was talking about...<strong>_

_**Read and Review!**_


	7. Tartarus

_**Author's Note - Plot! What's a plot? Ripred would rather continue having feasts.**_

_****_Disclaimer - I own nothing. Well... I own my socks, but that's about it. The Underland Chronicles belongs to Suzanne Collins, and if you haven't already, you should go read the Hunger Games Trilogy as well. If the fantastic authoress herself should ever stumble upon this, she is welcome to it. Any part or whole of this story is hers for the taking, cause i'd love to see a sixth book._****_

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><p><strong>Chapter 7 - Tartarus<strong>

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><p><em>"When you can't run, you crawl, and when you can't crawl, you find someone to carry you." - Malcolm Reynolds<em>

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><p>They gathered in the high hall the next morning. When Gregor and Luxa arrived, most of the packing had already been completed. Apollo was loaded down with several bags of food, and a few torches. Of course they would not need as many since Luxa would be the only one who would need one.<p>

Gregor saw that there were a few people passed out in the chairs still lining the room, and occasionally a person would come up from the second floor with a plate of food or drink of some kind. It seemed that the Mareth was right about the Underlanders making the most of the opportunities for celebration.

Twitchtip, Ripred, Lizzy, and the two pups were talking off to one side of the room, presumably making plans for babysitting. Stellovet seemed to have sulked most of the night as she was still sitting, unconscious, in the same chair she had taken when Gregor had left.

Hazard looked like he was still running on sugar from the previous night. He was sitting in a group of kids about his own age, playing some sort of board game, and fidgeting constantly.

Mareth looked truly exhausted. Gregor went over to talk to him.

"How long has it been since you last slept?"

"Oh... I would have to say about a day and a half? I could not miss the celebration though! Congratulations, by the way. Your Highness!" Mareth and Gregor both laughed at that.

"Well, if I am king, then I order you to go to bed!"

"Yes sir!" The soldier grinned, gave a salute, and headed toward the door.

"Overlander!" Howard was running toward him.

"Hey Howard. How's it going?"

"Very well actually. I am sorry I could not stay as long as I would have liked at the party, but I had early morning duties in the hospital. I only have a few minutes off right now. I've got something for you." Howard handed Gregor a small folded cloth.

Gregor took it and unfolded it. Inside was a slightly curved object. It was smooth, and completely, flawlessly black. It had a small ridge cut around the wide end, and had a thin metal chain attached to the indention. He recognized it immediately.

"Is this... His claw?" Gregor held the necklace reverently.

"Yes. I thought you might like to keep a piece of him close to your heart... Especially considering the first stop on your journey."

"Thank you Howard..." Gregor carefully put the chain over his head and slipped the claw under his shirt. When he looked up, he caught his breath. Nerissa was standing there beside her cousin as if she had appeared from nowhere.

"Greetings Warrior. I came to wish you well on your quest." She was as pale as she had been in his dream and possibly thinner.

"Thank you Nerissa. And I am not the warrior anymore. The warrior is dead." He felt himself on guard, the fear from his nightmare lingering even now.

"Yes... I suppose that is true... But you remain the Warrior nonetheless. Here." She reached out and put a slip of paper into his shirt pocket. He forced himself not to flinch away from her. When she turned and walked away, he shivered.

"Is she alright Howard?"

"I... I do not know Gregor. She has been getting more like a corpse for months... She rarely eats or sleeps, and when she does, it is very little. Generally she only wants a little tea and spends all of her time in the prophecy room."

"She won't last long like this... Is there anything you can do?"

"As far as sleep goes, I could easily drug her and put her in a hospital bed for a few days, but in her condition, there is no way to know if she would ever wake back up. I can only bring her food and encourage her to eat it, which I do often."

"I do not know how well Luxa would handle losing another cousin..."

"I promise, Gregor. I will do everything I can to keep her alive and try to improve her health, but it still might not be enough."

"I know. Thank you. For everything Howard." The young doctor nodded sadly and headed off to his duties. Luxa appeared by his side.

"Do you have all you want to bring? We should go say good bye to your family. There is no telling how long we will be away." He took her hand without question and they went to his families quarters.

Gregor's parents handled things well, he thought. They at least didn't break down sobbing, certain he would never return, nor did they forbid him to go. Luxa stayed and talked with them while he went and packed the last of the things he thought he might need.

A roll of duct tape, two flash lights and extra batteries, a can of root beer, his music player, and his black plastic bat all got stuffed haphazardly into a sturdy backpack. He strapped on his broken sword and headed back out to his family.

"Be safe. Both of you." His father said as they left.

"See you soon." Gregor replied.

Gregor and Luxa sat together on Aurora, while Twitchtip and Ripred were to ride on Apollo. Twitchtip leaped up nimbly, as she had always been an incredible jumper. Ripred on the other hand kept trying to scale the bat like a steep wall, leaping as high as he could, then trying to get a grip with his claws. Apollo was not enjoying it.

"You know, you could just jump off the balcony and let me catch you. It would be easier on both of us... Ouch!"

"I am not flinging myself off of this building to save you a few nicks and scratches!" Ripred growled as he slid off yet again. "My leg still isn't as strong as it used to be..."

Gregor hadn't thought about it before, but Ripred was far from a young rat. His gray fur might have a bit of aged silver mixed in now. And the leg which had been broken during the war had healed, but it was still noticeable weaker. If he and Gregor were to fight, it might be close.

He walked over slowly and stealthily. The distracted rat leaped and at the top of his arc, Gregor bent his knees, put his shoulder against the rats feet, and shoved as hard as he could, giving the rat the extra few inches he needed.

"There. That wasn't so hard." Twitchtip laughed at her mate's display and Apollo winced as Luxa rubbed his scratched up side.

"We have time to apply some medication to these scratches if you like, Apollo."

"No, I will be fine. Let's be on our way as soon as possible."

They all mounted up. Gregor looked around the high hall and briefly wondered if he would ever return here. He felt Luxa wrap her arms around him and smiled. He had to return so he could bring her back safely.

Gregor looked over at the older rager. "So. What's your plan?"

The rat grinned at the use of his own repeated question. "To the Plains of Tartarus. We will visit the cavern where you fought, then we will decide our next move."

The flight took a few hours, during which Gregor and Luxa talked about their past adventures. It had been four years since they had left Regalia together on a journey like this. It brought back memories, good and bad, of the many times before.

"You know, I think this is the first time that no one has gotten unknowingly dragged into danger with us." Gregor commented. Luxa raised an eyebrow then considered a moment. Boots had been with them on almost every journey, And Hazard had accompanied them on the fourth, along with Thalia. Lizzy had even been brought along on the last fiasco.

"You are correct. Perhaps it is a good sign. Maybe we will not lose anyone this time..." For a moment they both sat together in silence remembering the ones who had died on their journeys. Treflex. Tick. Gox. Henry. Pandora. Hamnet. Frill. Mange. Thalia. The nibblers. All the many, many lives that had been lost during the last war...

"We will all return home alive." He raised a hand to his chest. He felt the cool surface of the claw against his skin.

"I believe you are right" She leaned her head against his back and wrapped her arms around him. Then she sat up. "What is the paper in your pocket? I saw Nerissa give it to you before we left."

"I don't know. I haven't looked at it yet." They dug out a flash light and unrolled the small paper.

_**Six will go, though five are called, and seven will return.**_

"What do you think that means Gregor?" Luxa asked.

"Well the prophecy called for five people. Two born to kill, both their mates, and one other. But we are also bringing Aurora, so that makes six. But the seven returning..."

He was lost. Were they going to take a prisoner? Or... He looked over at Twitchtip asleep next to Ripred on Apollo's wide back. He felt the warmth of the girl behind him. Would they be gone long enough for a child to be born on this trip?

"We will have to wait and see. This seems like something that Nerissa has written herself. How it will come to pass will not be clear until it has happened." He could tell from her voice though that she may have the same concerns.

Eventually they landed on a familiar ledge. The same one they had camped in before the battle. Below, Gregor could see the large, flat, open space where they had fought. He saw the tunnel they had followed that led to the cavern. Their destination.

"We'll let the bats rest here for a few hours then we will continue on our way. Do you remember if the tunnel forks any Gregor?" Ripred asked.

"No. It was one solid tunnel that came out in the cavern. There is no chance of getting lost."

They sat in three separate spots. The bats, the rats, and the humans. It felt like the meeting to decide who would look for the cure, only friendlier. Luxa whispered in his ear. "Are you more worried about seeing remains, or nothing at all?"

"I don't know really... Probably which ever one is there will be worse in my mind..." He put his palms to his eyes as he examined the cavern with his echolocation. It continued to amaze him how much detail he was beginning to pick up.

"I will go in first and tell you... So you would be prepared. Like you did for me with the plague victims..." She had a concerned look on her face. Gregor sighed and shook his head.

"No. I'll be fine. As long as you are there with me." He smiled at her as she kissed him.

"I promise." With that she put her back against his and her head on his shoulder and started dozing lightly.

Gregor found he could pick out the weaving pattern on his and Luxa's clothes easily. Better than he could by sight. He could even detect the difference in density and thickness of their pants, shirts, and undergarments by how hard they appeared in his mind. He could detect the raised scar tissue that covered most of the big gray rat's body beneath his fur.

He cleared his mind and tried not to arrange the noises of his breathing into pictures. It did make it difficult to fall asleep occasionally.

The bats were refreshed and ready to go in under two hours. They swooped down to the tunnel and followed it quickly. It took a matter of minutes to reach the cavern. They landed a few yards early and walked in. He stepped into the cavern and immediately found himself in a pool up to his ankles.

He looked around. Up on a ledge, he saw part of the skeleton of a small underland rat. It had been picked clean and broken repeatedly by scavengers. He saw a few long bones, maybe ribs, poking from the surface of the pool. He could make out a tiny trickle of water coming down from the wall.

How could such a small trickle, that must have been their for ages before, have filled such a large cavern? He could see no sign of his bond. Perhaps he was beneath the surface. But more likely, he had been carried off and devoured.

The smell of decay was over powering. His shock and adrenaline had masked it for a moment or two, but now he was gagging. He could see the others were in no better shape. Except maybe Ripred. Twitchtip had already run for air. Even damaged, she had an incredible sense of smell.

Then Luxa flipped on her flash light. Gregor vomited. Right into the ankle deep pool of crimson.

When they had all left the horrid cavern and washed their feet and legs, Ripred proposed his idea. "Some of the blood congealed in whatever cracks the water used to escape through. The room proceeded to fill with the immense amount of blood from the bane's body and the water."

The others just nodded. Twitchtip had also vomited, and taken a while to recover after the overwhelming stench. Luxa was very pale at the sight of so much blood in one place. Gregor was by far the worse off. He was still shaking uncontrollably.

If it had merely been the experience itself, he may have coped better. But it was so horrifyingly like his nightmare he had expected to see a rotting corpse of a bat rise from the slime. Luxa put her arms around him and even Ripred looked at him sympathetically.

"There is no reason to return to that room. We would catch something worse than the plague if we went swimming around in a pool of blood. It looks like we need a new plan."

"Ripred... I think that we should get a bit farther away before we stop to make plans. The smell carries even here." Twitchtip looked at her mate.

"Yes. You are right. Lets go." The rat made it on to Apollo's back in only five tries this time.

They flew to a small cave a great distance from the pool of blood. Luxa and Gregor sat back to back, wrapped in a blanket. Soon Luxa was breathing lightly and it was only Gregor and Ripred awake.

"How are you holding up Overlander?"

"I... As well as can be expected I guess."

"Better, I think. That was the most emotion I've seen out of you in four years, and believe me, I've been watching."

"But you told Lizzy..."

"I know. But I honestly thought that your lives would be better without the underland. I wanted to keep an eye on you in case you needed my help, but otherwise I had no intention of interfering."

"Until you needed us for a prophesy."

"Until YOU needed a prophesy! Gregor, I do not know what exactly is going to happen, but it's supposed to bring you back. It's supposed to bring life back to the Warrior."

"Who says I want to bring the Warrior back?"

"You are the Warrior. Since your bond died, there has been something missing in you. I see it in your eyes. Others must too. Of course with all the things in your eyes, I doubt that is what they notice. I've seen how they avoid you. I went through it too. Even before I was a complete outcast for wanting peace, the other rats could see a dangerousness in me that I could not yet see myself."

"Dangerousness?"

"I was deadly. Powerful. Stronger and faster and smarter than any of them. That alone scared many. But when I lost my family, I was broken. A friend once told me that I had the eyes of a corpse then. I had power and no purpose. I had no desire to live. Then I began fighting for peace. Fighting so no one else would have to suffer as I had."

"And it helped the pain?"

"Not at first. But it began to let me see myself as others did. Have you ever been outside in the cold for a very long time, and then gone into the warmth and realized just how cold you were? It was like that. I suddenly understood how dead I had been. But it takes time to give life to a corpse."

"You think I am going to find something like that while we're away?"

"I hope so. Gregor I think that your family may not notice because they have been with you the whole time and may rightfully attribute any changes to maturity or trauma. And Luxa was certainly so happy to see you again she would eagerly disregard anything out of the ordinary in your behavior. But I see it."

"What do you see?"

"I see myself. I see you hold her hand but keep her on your left. Away from your sword arm. I see that you never pick up Boots. I see that you spend every possible minute alone. You pause before responding to people who are close to you. When you close your eyes, I see your muscles tense. When you look at your wife or your family, I see your fear. I hear a note of despair even when you laugh."

"I... How can I not see these things?"

"Because you are dead. A part of you is no longer there."

"What will it take to get it back?"

"I don't know. Maybe a purpose. A reason to keep on fighting. Maybe more pain."

"I have a reason to keep fighting. I have Luxa and my family."

"I know. I am just telling you what I think are possibilities. Maybe..." The rat looks at the girl leaned against the younger rager's back. "Maybe you will get some great joy put back into you. Like a child..."

"You read the prophesy that Nerissa gave me, didn't you?"

"Yes. The possibility had already crossed my mind though."

"We aren't going to be gone that long, and there is no way we would risk having a child on this trip."

"Yes. You are probably right. I do not think we are meant to know what is coming."

"Yeah. If we did, we'd probably be too scared to keep going. Well, all of us but you."

"I'm beginning to see the end coming for me. I'm not as young as I used to be. The rager effects are getting harder on me every time. But I'm not dead yet. I've still got some fight left in me. Now get some sleep. We're heading for Atlantis next."

Gregor relaxed a little back against Luxa. He closed his eyes and thought about all the rat had said. Was he really like that? He tried to run through the things he had mentioned. Then he had to force himself to untense his muscles. Even here, leaned against his wife and sitting next to perhaps the single deadliest creature in the underland, he could not be at peace.

He did not remember ever drifting off. He just remembered Luxa shaking him awake and trying to pretend he hadn't reached for his sword. The journey to the lost city was longer than he remembered. They flew for hours on end. It was definitely not the rout they had taken before.

"Ripred, why aren't we going back the way we came?"

"We went through a one way tunnel. Something Sandwich made. A stone door seamlessly hidden in the cave ceiling that had a hidden trigger to open and close it on each side. I believe he may have put it there on his way to the city for the final time, to stop others from coming after him."

"He did not realize there were other entrances?"

"Things change. Slowly, but new caves and tunnels do form."

"Oh..."

They arrived with the flashlights off. Gregor guided Luxa to an overhang and then turned on the lights for her. She gasped in astonishment.

"Gregor it is so beautiful! You did not tell me... I could never have imagined anything made from earth and stone could be more beautiful than Regalia..."

"Neither could I, until I saw it for myself. Ripred, can we have some time to explore?"

"Yes, but not more than a couple of hours. The bats could use a rest anyway."

Gregor took Luxa's hand and guided her through the streets. They watched the stories in the streets and the pictures on the walls. They walked through the forest of emeralds and even visited Sandwich's grave. Then Ripred was calling them back.

They went to a tunnel Gregor recognized. He finally remembered when they came to a fork in the path. One path marked with a hand and a claw interlocked, and one with a hand holding a sword.

"What is down the other tunnel Ripred?" Gregor asked.

"Nothing. A dead end."

"No that isn't right." Twitchtip was sniffing down the tunnel. The group followed her into a small cavern with smooth walls on all sides. She ran her nose over every inch. "I smell other rats..."

Gregor and Luxa immediately turned to the entrance, swords drawn.

"Not that way, beyond this wall."

"But... How can you smell through solid stone?" Luxa asked.

"It isn't solid. It is a door!" Gregor ran over and began running his hands over the surface. Near the ceiling, he found a small hole. It was too deep for his finger to hit the bottom, and no animal could maneuver a claw up to such an angle.

"It has to be the latch... But why would he make it unopenable?" Gregor wondered.

"What was the other tunnel like?" Ripred asked suddenly.

"It was ridiculous. It was obviously made for a human with echolocation. Some of the spots seemed built specifically for me. Why?"

"What if this is the same way?"

"I already tried. My fingers aren't long enough. Or strong enough to flip a stone latch."

Luxa smiled and tapped her chest. Gregor took a few moments, then slowly pulled the claw necklace from under his shirt. He smiled at the black object and then carefully slid it into the latch. It fit as though it were molded for it.

With a faint grating that escalated to a near deafening roar, the wall slid into the floor and Twitchtip breathed in air that had not seen visitors in hundreds of years.

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><p><em><strong>Ripred is by far my favorite character in the series, followed by Lizzy, Luxa, and Ares.<strong>_

_**Read and Review!**_


	8. Ghost

_**Author's Note - Uh... I got nothing.**_

_****_Disclaimer - I own nothing. Well... I own my socks, but that's about it. The Underland Chronicles belongs to Suzanne Collins, and if you haven't already, you should go read the Hunger Games Trilogy as well. If the fantastic authoress herself should ever stumble upon this, she is welcome to it. Any part or whole of this story is hers for the taking, cause i'd love to see a sixth book._****_

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><p><strong>Chapter 8 - Ghost<strong>

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><p><em>"He who lives by the sword gets shot by he who doesn't." - Anonymous<em>

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><p>The group slowly entered the tunnel. The air was still and smelled strongly of stone and water. Twitchtip sniffed the air.<p>

"Be careful. The air here is strange. I can not detect anything clearly. And we do not want to discover the reason this tunnel was sealed unprepared."

Luxa aimed her flashlight all around, paying close attention to the walls, floor, and ceiling. Every shadow was thoroughly inspected before she moved her beam on to the next.

"Gregor, you lead, I'll cover the rear." Ripred said it with no room for negotiation. He stepped to the end and Twitchtip joined him. Their added sense of smell and hearing would be of greater benefit should something come up from behind.

"What do you think we'll find down here?" Luxa asked him.

"I don't know... Probably nothing good." They grinned at each other.

"Is it ever?" She laughed lightly and they continued walking, side by side. He remembered how it had felt when they would go on adventures like this together before.

The bats flapped along in the middle of the group a few dozen yards at a time, careful not to make any unnecessary noise.

Luxa took a water skin out of their supplies and took a small drink before scowling and replacing it in the pack.

"What's wrong Luxa?"

"My mouth and nose are still tainted from that pool of blood. It makes the water taste horrible. It is alright though. Should it come to a necessity, I will have no trouble abiding the taste for the nourishment."

"Oh! Here. I brought a few cans back with me." Gregor reached into his pack and pulled out a can of root beer. Luxa's eyes lit up.

"Gregor! This is your spinner weapon from our first journey together!" She took it and looked the can over on all sides. She examined it for about a minute before deciding on a course of action and popping the top.

He grinned at her and she took a sip.

"It is just as good as before! But we should save it... I doubt we will be able to get any more in the future." He shook his head.

"Drink up. I brought several cans, we can save them. This one is yours to drink now."

"Gregor... Do you think you will ever go back to the overland?" Luxa looked at him curiously.

"To live? No. To visit? Buy you more root beer? Show you the snow? Maybe..." She smiled and took another sip of the soda.

Gregor noticed Luxa's hair swaying gently before he registered the gentle brush of air across his face. Then he began to worry.

"Uh... I think we might be coming up on some currents!" Aurora immediately tensed. Gregor remembered the pain the bats had gone through before and knew they would have to be much more careful this time.

"I smell... familiar air." They all turned and looked at Twitchtip. "I believe it is from the labrynth. I spent so much time there, and it was the last thing I smelled for months at one point, I will never forget it."

"So we've gotten close to the labrynth?" Gregor asked.

"Seems like it." Ripred commented and looked around. "Atlantis was much closer to the surface than the labrynth and we haven't desended that much yet. We must be above it." He looked at Twitchtip and she nodded.

"Yes, I agree. We are in the right area to be over it. But the air must come form somewhere. Keep an eye out for any openings." Twitchtip said to Gregor and Luxa.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want to fall in." Gregor said, and examined the floor carefully as Luxa began shining her flashlight around.

"It will not likely be a pit to the labyrinth. More likely cracks that could give way under the weight it is not used to." Ripred advised.

As they continued on, the breeze became stronger, until it was a powerful wind. Gregor leaned into it slightly and the bats kept their wings in tight. They had an easier time resisting the urge to fight a single prevailing force.

The mist was there now. The strange white fog that accompanied the currents. Then they reached a point where the tunnel widened and the wind slacked off slightly, allowing them to stand freely.

"Be careful! There are a number of pits around." Twitchtip piped up. Gregor looked down and stepped back from the edge of one.

"I thought there weren't going to be holes in the floor to the labyrinth?" Gregor said to Ripred.

"Those do not go to the Labyrinth. Those go all across the underland. There are so many smells, I can not decipher them all. The pressures that build up and flow through the endless cave systems and cracks all seem to end up here." Twitchtip interrupted her mate.

"So... The currents that supported us on our first fall ended up here eventually? They flowed up and then just got directed off through the stone to this place?" Gregor asked. "Then what about that room with the conflicting currents?"

"I guess it would be something like this. Imagine the currents are cars. Normally, they are on roads and streets. But in that room, they were more like bumper cars. There was a way out, but it was too big of a mess for everything to ever line up. This is the parking lot where all the roads lead to. From here... Who knows. They could lead anywhere. The force increased, the closer we got, so the wind got diverted somewhere." Ripred explained to Gregor. It was strange hearing such a description down here, where the idea of a car was so foreign. Luxa looked confused by the metaphor but didn't ask.

"Or, it hasn't gotten back into it's old path yet. We unsealed that door. Perhaps the currents were part of why it was made." Luxa pointed out.

"That is true..." Ripred looked lost in thought for a moment. "Perhaps they used these currents. Maybe they harnessed them as a source of energy."

"Whatever the case, they're loose now. We need to keep going. We need to find out what else was sealed behind that door." Twitchtip said.

The group moved on in tense silence, suspecting some new terror to assault them with every step.

Gregor's mind began to wonder as they walked. So many things were fighting for his attention as the monotony of the endless tunnel set in.

First on his mind was the girl at his side, as she had been for years. He thought back to their first encounter. How she had changed since then! Or maybe it was just the way he saw her that had changed. His first impression of her had been that she was arrogant and unkind. But of course, a lot had happened since then.

She'd been betrayed by her cousin and closest friend. She'd been left for dead by her friends. She'd nearly lost her bond. She'd started a war. And she'd been the one to end the war with an oath of loyalty to their enemy. She was strong. Kind. Gentle. She saw him staring at her and took his hand.

Then their was Ripred. He'd been told he couldn't judge him as he would other rats. And Vikus had been right about that. Ripred had not had an easy life. He'd seen the good and the bad of both sides. He'd had the opportunity to step back and see the war and hatred for what it was. Pointless.

The Peacemaker. Sandwich had chosen well. Gregor smiled when he thought of how strongly he had opposed fighting when he had come to the underland, and how much he still disliked it. And in contrast, how deadly a warrior the old rat had been and still was. Anyone would have seen their rolls as reversed. But it took someone who had seen the horrors of war to truly bring peace. And it took a stranger to such hatred to be a true warrior.

But Ripred was changing as well. Years had passed and his age was starting to take it's toll on him. Gregor had no doubt the rat could still defeat unbelievable forces, but he may start to crack well before four hundred now.

Apollo fluttered along beside Aurora. An enormous creature. Only slightly smaller than his father. Nearly identical except for the bright white stripes that accented the bones in his wings. How many of those he called friends had he seen die? Too many for a boy of sixteen. But then again, he didn't feel like he could consider himself a child anymore. Not after all he had experienced.

No child should go through what he had. He squeezed Luxa's hand as he thought about the feeling of his sword in his hand. No. He'd make sure his child was beside Hazard in the hospital. Helping save lives, not take them.

"Lets make camp here." Ripred addressed the group quietly. "We don't know what is ahead, but we want to be well rested and alert when we find out. We'll switch guard every three hours. The bats don't need to take a turn. I know how hard it is in these small tunnels. Gregor, take first watch with me, will you?" Gregor nodded and sat next to the old rat.

"What's going on Ripred?" He was concerned. The rat had never asked him to keep him company before.

"I'm not sure. Just a bad feeling. It feels like... It feels like this has happened before. It feels like I've taken these steps before and spoken these words before. It's unnerving."

Gregor was stunned. This was a change. But when he thought about it, he felt similarly. The journey felt familiar, but not in a reassuring way. "I know what you mean. Sandwich have anything to say about this?"

"No. Their was nothing about this in his journal. Not specifically. He did say their were more secrets than I could possibly imagine buried in that city. Some of the things I've seen make chills run up m spine. I'm not superstitious, but I always feel like I'm being watched when I'm their. I see things move but can never catch them when I look. I hear sounds that I can't identify. I've been on edge for months and it is wearing me out."

So that was it. It wasn't just his age that was taking its toll on him, it was stress. The feeling of constantly being among the unknown. "Maybe we should try to find out what happened there, after we finish this quest. Just the two of us. It might set you mind at ease if we answered some of those questions." Gregor looked around the tunnel.

"Maybe. We'll see when the time comes. Lets just focus on surviving this journey first."

"Yeah. You're right. You know, on our other journeys, the prophecy's had begun unraveling by now, but they don't seem to be making much more sense now than when we left. Do you think we're on the wrong track?"

"I don't know. I don't think so. We are following the path of war, as the prophecy dictated. We won't know until the very end, I'm afraid. How is your echolocation progressing?"

"Oh. Pretty good. I can see just fine by breathing, and if I click or whistle I get an incredibly clear wrap around image. I even see things I couldn't ordinarily. It is weird seeing all around me." Gregor clicked his tongue to demonstrate and then tensed. He had just seen something that made his skin crawl.

"What is it?" Ripred was on his feet in a heartbeat, silent as a shadow.

"Over there. On the wall. I only noticed because it was directly in front of me." Gregor walked over carefully and ran his fingers over the carving. There was a rat, a human, and a bat. And all three had the mark of the scythe carved over their hearts. The mark of death.

"Don't mention this to the others, Gregor. This has been here for centuries. There is no reason to alarm them if it's not necessary." Ripred seemed shaken. Gregor couldn't blame him. The feeling of walking a familiar path were even stronger now. They went and sat down again. They both sat silent, lost in thought for a long while. Then Gregor spoke up.

"You don't think we'll all make it back from this trip, do you? The signs and feelings keep adding up. The prophecies seem to have a tone of dread and finality to them. This will probably be the last journey for at least one of us. If that picture is true, then maybe for three of us..."

"Gregor, I don't know what will happen. But we'll fight to bring everyone back home safely. Side by side. What can stand against us?" The rat sounded more confident than he had before. It calmed Gregor's heart some. "Go to sleep. Luxa will want you to share her shift with her as well." Gregor yawned and nodded, then went and stretched out next to Luxa.

Going to sleep proved easier said than done. Although the rat's words had calmed his fears some, they were by no means gone. The image of the bat, rat, and human with the mark of death over their hearts was burned into his mind. What if it were Luxa, Aurora, and Twitchtip? What if everyone he and Ripred cared about on this trip were going to die?

He couldn't dwell on it. He knew that. But still... There was that nagging fear gnawing at the back of his mind. He yawned. Luxa shifted in her sleep and her hair fell across his shoulder. What Ripred had said was true. Between the two of them, it would take an army to touch those they cared about.

He never realized he had dozed off, but in the blink of an eye, Luxa was stretching beside him and he sat up, back to back with her.

"Did you get an sleep?" She sounded concerned.

"Yeah some. Didn't feel like it, but I know I did." He smiled reassuringly at her.

"Good. I was worried you and Ripred would stay up the whole night discussing what we will do next. He's gained a lot of respect for you, you know. He looks at you as his equal in everything but experience now." Luxa almost sounded envious.

"I dunno. I guess so. But he's treated you as an equal since we were eleven." Gregor nudged her playfully and she giggled quietly.

"Eleven sounds so young... But I had already started a war before I turned twelve. And I suppose, sixteen doesn't sound much older." She leaned back against him and sighed. "Maybe someday we'll run away to the overland and escape all this war and darkness."

"Would you really leave Regalia?" He pulled his bag closer to him and rummaged in it.

"No..." She sighed again. "But it is nice to dream. Living in a world with no war. With lights everywhere. With snow. It sounds like a fairy tale." She took his hand and he heard her yawn.

"It's not always as great as you make it sound. We've had wars. And ours are worse in some ways. You all see the destruction it causes. You personally know so many who die. In the overland, people fight from so far away they may never know anything about who they killed. They may not even know the man who dies beside them. They kill because they are ordered and sometimes they don't even know why." Gregor frowned as he remembered some of the things he had watched on the news. His world wasn't as peaceful as he had wanted to believe all those years ago.

"Is it really better to look into the eyes of a person you have to kill? Is it better when you know the names of every man and woman you see die? I don't know... I guess there are very few with the perspective to make such a judgment." She twisted around to see what he was looking for just as he pulled it from his bag.

"Here. Hold still. This makes music." She looked at him questioningly but didn't move as he gently placed one of the headphones in her ear. He pressed the play button and listened along with her as he adjusted the volume. She smiled.

"That is beautiful!" She smiled and leaned back. He'd picked a pile of songs that he liked and hoped she might enjoy them as well. As the songs he had chosen went, this one was out of the ordinary, but he always liked it. Ever since he had returned to the overland.

_...From a distance, you look like my friend, even though we are at war..._

He'd listened to it a lot the past few years. In general, if the song didn't give him some feeling of hope, he didn't waste his time on it. This one had always made him feel better when he had nightmares about the war.

"Gregor, what do you think is waiting for us at the end of this tunnel?" She whispered.

"I don't know... But we'll face it together, as always. You do have two ragers, a scent seer, your bond, and an enormous flyer on your side. We'll be fine." He tried to sound confident.

"If we don't all make it back... Promise you'll rule Regalia in my place. Don't let the council take over. Please..." He squeezed her hand.

"Luxa I promise that I will bring you home safely, or that I will die trying." She turned and pressed her forehead against his.

"That isn't what I want though..." He touched her cheek and felt it was damp.

"It is what I want though. You promise me that when you make it back, with or without me, you will take care of my family. You and them are all I have left. You have a whole kingdom and your bond. You have some family and many friends. You have to live." She kissed him then sat on his lap, pressing against him.

"Sometimes I think you've changed so much you are unrecognizable, then you say these stubborn and sweet things that remind me you are still the same person I said goodbye to four ears ago." She sighed and smiled.

..._if my shadows all that survives, i'm still alive!_

"I like this one. It reminds me of Ripred. How nothing can ever seem to beat him. You're becoming very much like him... I think he's proud of you. _I'm_ proud of you..." She looked up at him and grinned. "You're a lot cuter than he is though." She blushed and kissed him again. This time she didn't pull away as quickly.

Then a sound caught Gregor's attention. He quickly lifted Luxa to her feet and was beside her in an instant, his broken sword in hand even though he carried a new sword as well.

He saw Ripred was on his feet as well. The bats and Twitchtip were all still asleep. The sound was strange. He didn't recognize it at first. Then it hit him. He turned to the rat and mouthed his thought.

_An army? _

It sounded like hundreds of voices and thousands of claws in a confined space. Ripred nodded and they quietly roused the others. Twitchtip's nose began sniffing as soon as she was awake.

"Rats. Many rats. My nose isn't quite as keen as it was before it was damaged, but I can tell there are many hundreds." Gregor's stomach was turning. An army of rats? Not a good sign.

"Stay calm Gregor. Everyone, we move on slowly and quietly. Gregor and I will lead. Sword out, Warrior. I'm afraid we may be counting on it soon." Ripred directed. Gregor swallowed and drew his new sword as well. He held it left handed with the broken blade still in his right as he and the large rat led the way up the tunnel.

When they rounded a bend and came face to face with two guards, Gregor didn't hesitate to strike. They never knew what had hit them as the two ragers silenced them. He was holding the rager sensation just under control as they walked, ready to move into action at a moments notice.

The tunnel split, and at an urging from Twitchtip, they took the path that led upwards. It rapidly came to a dead end in a stone bowl high above an enormous cavern. Gregor reached the edge first and felt his heart stop. He stumbled back and fell to the ground in shock and fear. He'd just seen a ghost.

There, in the center of an army of rats, standing atop a stone pedestal and addressing the group, was a giant white rat.

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><p><strong><em>Read and Review!<em>  
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	9. Bond

_**Author's Note - This is about the end of what i had planned. I know a lot of people will probably hate the choice i made in writing this, but deal with it. Writing for me, not you.**_

_****_Disclaimer - I own nothing. Well... I own my socks, but that's about it. The Underland Chronicles belongs to Suzanne Collins, and if you haven't already, you should go read the Hunger Games Trilogy as well. If the fantastic authoress herself should ever stumble upon this, she is welcome to it. Any part or whole of this story is hers for the taking, cause i'd love to see a sixth book._****_

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><p><strong>Chapter 9 - Bond<strong>

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><p><em>"Only those who risk going too far find out just how far they can go." - Walter Bishop<em>

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><p>Gregor collapsed and pressed his back to the wall of the stone bowl, panting in terror. The Bane was alive... He squeezed his eyes shut and shivered as image after image flashed through his mind. It was as bad as one of his nightmares.<p>

It may have been seconds or hours, Gregor couldn't tell, but at some point he felt Luxa's hands clasp around his. He opened his eyes.

"Gregor it is not the same Bane! This one is much younger!" Luxa tried to comfort him but she sounded as shaken as he was.

"What does it matter if it is the same Bane or not? It is still twice as big as any normal rat and it has an army!" Gregor was reacting badly. He knew it. He knew he should be facing this more calmly, but he couldn't get the images of his last battle out of his head. All the blood...

"Warrior! Get hold of your senses boy! This is no time to collapse on us. We're not going to make it through what is to come without you!" Ripred snapped at him quietly. The older rager's voice calmed him a bit. He closed his eyes again and took several deep breaths.

"Alright... Alright. I'm alright." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself as much as anyone else. Maybe he was.

"Listen!" Luxa crouched down next to Gregor and tilted her head up toward the opening. The Bane was addressing his army.

"Greetings! Fellow Underlanders! My dear, oppressed, fellow inhabitants of this land! Our time is coming! A new war is approaching, and it is a war that will show the humans once and for all that this land belongs to us, not them! That no warrior, king, or prophet can take from us what is our birthright! That we are strong and together no army can stand against us! There is only one way to take back our home. We must wipe every last human from this land! We must kill them all, down to the last woman and child, without mercy and without exception!"

"Now I know, many of you are afraid. You have heard rumors that the Overlander has returned to this land. Well fear not. My predecessor was not strong enough to defeat him, but I am. Pearlpelt was damaged, mentally scarred by a childhood of violence and confinement. I am in full control of my mind, and I tell you with absolute certainty that their precious Warrior will die by my claws. I will tear him apart and leave your way clear."

"This time, we fight not just for the gnawers, but for every race that has suffered because of the humans! We have the allegiance of the twisters, and even a number of the fliers, nibblers, crawlers, and the cutters! We will continue trying to recruit the diggers, but they may have finally left these lands for good. If that is so, then we will fight for their memory non the less!"

"My friends! The crimes committed all those centuries ago by the humans who took advantage of our kindness and generosity and stole so much from us all shall be avenged a hundred fold! We will take blood for blood! We will wash away the stain of humanity and return to the peaceful life our ancestors knew before!"

"You may wonder what will become of those who have sided with the humans. They will be treated mercifully. They may resist and fight to the bitter end, but once the humans are destroyed, we will never hold their allegiance against them. They will have all the rights of any other true Underlander. There will be only this exception. The gnawers Ripred and Twitchtip, who have taken the mantle of leader of the rats be force will die as traitors."

The army cheered for their leader. Gregor looked over the lip of the bowl to see the crowd. He could pick out the glossy backs of a few dozen crawlers, the small bodies of a handful of nibblers, three bats, and despite the great white rat's words, not a single cutter. The twisters seemed to be absent as a whole, probably for the comfort of the crowd.

"So, what next?" Gregor looked up at Ripred, begging him to have a plan.

"I don't know. We have to get back to Regalia and warn them. But we should try to bring back as much information as possible. I recognize this cavern. Gorger used it at one time as his meeting area." He pointed with his tail back down the path they had come from. "If we take the other path, I know a route that leads to a choke point that only one or two rats at a time could pass through. We will go that way, and not risk tipping them off that there is a newly unlocked pathway they can take. We'll gather any information we can on the way and then make our way back to Regalia to deliver our report."

Luxa nodded her agreement and then looked at Gregor. "What say you?"

"I agree. Ripred is right. We can't go back and just tell them there is an army of unknown size that might be attacking at some point. Lets go now. If we wait, they may find us on their own, and we wouldn't stand a good chance in this spot." Ripred smirked and turned, leading the way.

Gregor was surprised at how calm he felt now. The flood of images that had plagued him at first were now just the painful memories he had dealt with for years. He felt his rager side at the ready and he knew what to expect. He drew his swords and followed the older rat.

Ripred lead them past a very wide tunnel opening that he said narrowed out a great deal before widening again, which is why it had never been used as an attack route. They pass it and Twitchtip and Luxa took up rear guard positions in case anyone came from behind. They explored the surrounding caves quietly and carefully, taking care to stay out of sight of the army, and most importantly the Bane.

They reached the far side of the cavern and were about to head back when they rounded a corner and came face to face with five rats. Four were dead before they could draw breath to call an alert, but the fifth managed to give one loud gurgling scream as his throat was torn out.

"Run! Now!" Ripred ordered. The group did as commanded and followed the old rager into the nearest tunnel big enough for the bats to fly down. The ground felt unsteady under Gregor's feet and he thought maybe the army was so vast it was shaking the ground. It was Luxa's voice that made him understand it was far worse.

"Earthquake!" The whole cave was shaking violently, and they were all stumbling along, just ahead of the pursuing army. Gregor's heart was pounding against his chest. He fell back and ran beside Luxa. He wanted to make sure that if she died, he was already waiting for her. He would defend her with his last breath.

The ground began to settle back into silence when a drop of liquid hit Gregor's face. He looked up and clicked his tongue to see hundreds of droplets of water falling from the roof of the cavern. It was raining. Of course! The prophesy had meant this! There must be a body of water above them that had been damaged by the shaking.

"Ripred, are we under the waterway?" He was worried the ceiling might give in and crush them all with an ocean.

"No, I think we're under the Plains of Tartarus. We left the cavern on the wrong side, so I hope we can get out on the other end of this tunnel." Great. They may be heading into a dead end. Then another thought occurred to him and he looked up with his eyes just as Luxa's flashlight beam hit the ceiling.

He almost vomited again. It wasn't just water. The drops were red. He knew exactly where they were now. The enormous pool of blood and water must be right above this cave. He clenched his eyes shut and continued running. Judging by her gasp of horror, he assumed Luxa had come to the same conclusion. Twitchtip was the worst off. Her damaged nose was still torturous under these conditions.

The group sprinted into a large open cavern and slowed. The army had fallen behind by several seconds, giving them a moment to regroup. Ripred didn't waste a second.

"Luxa, go on Aurora. Twitchtip, go on Apollo. Find a safe place to make camp and then send Apollo back after us. Hurry! Gregor and I will hold them off." The rat turned and faced the tunnel opening. Gregor barely had time to kiss Luxa's cheek and turn to stand side by side with his mentor and friend before he saw the rats coming.

"Are you ready for this, Overlander?" The rat grinned at him.

"Nope." He smiled despite himself.

To there credit, the rats on the front line tried to turn back. Staring into the faces of two ragers who are both renowned as the greatest fighters the underland had seen in centuries was a daunting thing. But the oncoming tide of gnawers would not allow any one to go against its flow.

The army hit the two lone figures like a tidal wave hitting a stone cliff face. The bodies of the dead began to pile up immediately around the two as they launched into the battle with a ferocity that would have made the Bane shiver. Just as the two pushed the tide of battle back and took a moment to breath, Apollo returned.

"Go, Gregor. I'll hold them off a bit longer. He can't carry both of us at this point."

"No. You go." Gregor was worried that the old rager might be nearing his last fight.

"I can spin."

"So can I." Gregor turned to the cave opening without another word and launched into a spinning battle against the rats. He heard Apollo take off and knew he was fighting alone. It felt like hours, but he knew it had to have been much less before Apollo finally returned for him.

"Jump, Overlander!" The smooth voice purred. He completed one last spinning slash and leaped, kicking his legs out to the side and landing on the bat's strong back. He collapsed forward and began panting.

He hadn't realized how much the fight had drained him, but as the bat lifted him into the air and he saw the piles of bodies around the cavern he wondered how he had managed it. What sort of a force was he when he turned himself over to his rager side? He began to regain his breath.

"Thanks for coming and getting me. I don't know if I could have held out much longer." He gasped out as his breathing slowed.

"You seemed to be doing very well from what I saw. I never imagined I would get to see you face down an army single handed and come away victorious." Something seemed wrong. He couldn't place it. His mind was still to foggy from the battle.

He turned his head sideways and relaxed on the bat, watching the powerful wings pump up and down. Apollo had grown, even on their journey. He had even surpassed his father some. It seemed strange, but Gregor knew the Underland creatures grew much faster than humans.

The rhythmic cycle of the enormous black wings was hypnotic. He watched as the bones and the muscles moved beneath the skin and uniform dark fur. Then he realized something was wrong. Apollo had light stripes on his wings.

Gregor sat up and ran his fingers across the familiar fur. His mouth hung open in disbelief. It was impossible. He knew it couldn't be real. He must have died in the battle and never even realized it. Twitchtip was a different matter. He only had the report of enemy rats to go on. But this... He had seen the dead body with his own eyes. And there was no arguing, it had been dead.

"A-Ares?" Gregor stammered. Terrified that he might wake up any moment now.

"Yes, Overlander. It is me."

"How... How?"

"I don't know."

"But... You died... You were dead... I saw the Bane rip out your throat..."

"Yes, and I saw him tear open your chest. But you seem to be just as alive as me."

To his astonishment, the bat seemed to be enjoying this. He sounded on the verge of laughter, even. Even more surprising, Gregor felt like laughing himself. There had been a few times in his life when his heart felt like it might just rise out of his chest. When he had danced with Luxa at Hazard's birthday party. When he had found out his father was alive. Now.

The two flew in silence for a while. After a few minutes, they met Apollo on his way back to get Gregor. The smaller bat nearly dropped out of the air in surprise. He led the way to the hiding spot they had chosen. When they landed, there was silence.

Then Gregor was opening his eyes. He felt his heart sink. It had been a dream. Of course it had. It was too fantastic. Too much to hope for. He was back to back with Luxa. He looked around to find everyone asleep except Ripred, who was on guard duty. It must be nearly time to get up then. Ripred would have taken last watch after that fight. Twitchtip was curled up at his side, and the three bats were huddled together at the back of the cave. He blinked. Three. His face split into a grin.

"Well that is a look I haven't seen in your eyes in a long time." Ripred was looking at him and grinning, his fangs bared. "When this is finished, two rose from the grave. Swift death on wings, and the one he died to save."

"Yes... I think you're right."

"Oh? I'd expect you to know by now, I'm always right." The smug rat laughed quietly. "So, Warrior. How do you feel?"

Gregor leaned his head back on the shoulder of the woman he loved. He looked across the cave at his bond and greatest friend. He listened to the laughter of his mentor and strongest ally. He felt an uncontrollable happiness that seemed almost foreign to him and he could not stop the smile on his face form widening even farther. He wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his broken blade, but it didn't seem broken to him any more. It was just different.

"I feel... Alive!"

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><p><strong><em>Read and Review!<em>  
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	10. Darkness

**_Author's Note - We are officially into the second of three parts, and i am officially to the end of what i had planned. Updates will be slow, and not as well planned as before. I will do my best not to disappoint you all!_**

**_**_Disclaimer - I own nothing. Well... I own my socks, but that's about it. The Underland Chronicles belongs to Suzanne Collins, and if you haven't already, you should go read the Hunger Games Trilogy as well. If the fantastic authoress herself should ever stumble upon this, she is welcome to it. Any part or whole of this story is hers for the taking, cause i'd love to see a sixth book._**_**

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><p><strong>Part 2 - The Darkness<strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 10 - Darkness<strong>

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><p><em>"That's twenty pounds of crazy in a five pound bag." - Eliot Spencer<em>

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><p><em>I wonder, will you believe my words? My visions become more shrouded and uncertain, the farther I see, and at the moment you are reading this, they are all but shadows and mist. But there are things I must tell you regardless. There is a darkness coming that threatens to destroy everything you and I hold dear. You must be ready when it arrives. You must be waiting for it at the gates of hell with our sword in hand, ready to drive it back into the deepest pits of the eternal fire.<em>

_I don't remember when I gained the gift of prophecy. I know that I was young, and I know that it took me years to understand that I had a power no one else had. And it took me even longer to decide how to use it. Learning to trust a gift that you didn't ask for is a challenge that I know you can understand better than most._

_My first vision was of an awe inspiring city, the likes of which has never been seen on this earth. I saw a civilization living in peace with technology carved from the rocks far more advanced than anything I had seen crafted from wood. It was my inspiration to become a stone mason. I pursued my goal with a passion and determination that my peers found daunting, and my superiors found promising._

_I surpassed my master after only a year as his apprentice where no one else had mastered the art in less than three. I could easily have driven my teacher out of business with my skills, but out of gratitude for helping me achieve my dream, I worked side by side with him for the remainder of his career. In the end, he left his business to me._

_I took on and trained several apprentices, and they all became very successful, and at the age of twenty-five, I was already considering passing the majority of my business on to one of my students. You see, my visions had been becoming more and more disturbing and vivid for years, until without warning, they became unintelligible. Nothing but writhing shadows._

_It was then that I knew the city I had seen was no more. It had been destroyed in the darkness. My visions changed after that. I saw earth ruined. The shadows which destroyed the great city of my dreams had overtaken the world. I knew I had to do something to prevent this, but I was at a loss. I consulted a friend and told him very vaguely of my concern._

_He thought me mad at first, but after some demonstrations of the reliability of my visions, he too shared my concern. He suggested we look into moving beneath the ground. We could build a new civilization under the earth, and from there, we would survive the coming darkness. I knew from the beginning that this was not something we could just hide from, but I knew this was a step in the right direction._

_My visions showed me a man, holding a magnificent, jagged blade, standing against the tide of darkness. Every night I learned more about this mysterious warrior. I learned that he was the oldest of three children. I learned that he was the king of an underland city I was yet to create. And most importantly, I learned that he was no ordinary warrior._

_In his time, he was called a rager. A warrior like no other. I saw him battle in my visions. I saw a boy become a man. I saw him fly into war on the back of a bat, and I saw him learn to control his skills at the hand of a rat. The things I saw shocked and surprised me to no end. A whole world, that I was yet to uncover._

_During this time, we were making preparations to make our first expedition underground. We had a group of about 800 men and women who were willing to make a bet on my vision. I think, deep down, they could feel the darkness coming as well._

_I knew it was destined to be a lengthy and painful venture to move so many underground. My friend and I decided on a course of action to increase our chances. On the day they began the fifty year endeavor to create a civilization under the earth, my friend and I parted ways. I left him with a notebook of my visions and instructions, and even my name._

_Perhaps it was wrong of me to mislead them. But I already knew he would follow my directions, so it was no different than if I had done it myself. Only now, I could be somewhere else at the same time. In the planning stages of our journey, I had spoken to many natives of the land and discovered that they knew of this underland._

_More importantly, they knew of the city I had seen as a child. As far as they knew, it had been abandoned for many centuries. None of them dared live there. They believed it was cursed. In retrospect, I should have believed them. When I first saw the city with my own eyes, I could not believe that my dream had not done it justice._

_I spent weeks exploring the city and surrounding areas. I returned above ground every few days to replenish food and fuel, but otherwise, I stayed underground. I read the stories carved into the streets. They were a tapestry of languages, some I knew and many more that I didn't. I studied the various crystal houses, their colors, shapes, and sizes. _

_The forest held a great fascination to me. It echoed in my heart the feeling of longing I felt for my home, mixed with the resolve that it would live on in my memory and in legend. I began finding secret doors on my third week. I was considered by many to be a master stone worker, specifically in the field of moving parts, but the devices here were far beyond anything I had imagined possible._

_It took me twenty years to satisfy myself that I had unlocked every secret of the city. What I had found was unnerving. They had been a race of warriors driven underground by a shadow that threatened to overrun the world. They knew so little about it. They called it the messenger of death. Whatever it was, it had originated in a distant corner of the underland and risen to the surface when the people had opened a door into the earth._

_They had fled to this place, believing they would be safe. They had been wrong. But it seemed, someone among them had planned for their demise and used it to strike back against the darkness. The records I found called him only the gatekeeper. He tricked the shadows into a trap that locked both his people and the darkness away forever._

_Or that was the plan, anyway. Unfortunately, plans go awry. He was unable to finish the trap, and eventually, the darkness would escape and begin its reign upon the world again. Now alone, he began preparations for the day when the darkness returned. He had the visions as well, and I have found evidence pointing towards a startling fact._

_I am his decendant. I found a sword he forged for the warrior that would decide the future of our world. I carried it from that day until I left on my final journey. I found his own journals. Prophecies and visions. I learned his art of hiding his meaning so that it would not do more harm than good. His puzzles were crafted on a grand scale, for the sake of the world, not just for those who would be instrumental in its salvation or downfall._

_I left the city with a heart full of hope and dread. I spent my last years working on the new city of Regalia. I continued my ancestor's work, building the safeguards of our future into every stone. Eventually, I locked myself in a room and began recording my visions in the style I had learned from him, hoping that it would be enough to guide future generations along the right path._

_There was one last secret I learned of the warrior. Among the people who had been responsible for the release and capture of this terrible darkness, they held legends of great warriors throughout their history who they called "chosen by death". They used the scythe as a symbol for death. I know this symbol retains its meaning to the moment you are reading this._

_These warriors, chosen by death, were unbeatable in battle. They were honored and feared any time one was found. They say the effect was not unique to humans, but it was by far the most powerful in them. They knew it developed in stages. The first stage, the warrior could not control their ability. They acted on instinct._

_The second stage, they gained control over it and could harness it for their own uses. The third stage was the stage that filled their people with fear. In the third stage of those chosen by death, they began to develop powers beyond their fighting skills. Little was known about this legend. Few of the chosen lived that long, and it only occurred in humans._

_But this warrior, who I see standing as the last defense between the oncoming storm and the people of earth, is one of those chosen by death. He will enter the third stage of his abilities at the age of seventeen. And when he speaks to the messenger of death and learns the true name of his kind, his decision will save or destroy all that I have worked for._

_You are the warrior._

_The gatekeeper released the shadows and bound them again. He laid down the first lines of defense for the future. I have followed in his footsteps. In your time, the peacemaker will do his part to unite the light against the darkness that is coming. But in the end, it is you, Warrior, who will stand or fall._

_The blade you carry is broken. But it is complete. I am running out of time. My friend is waiting for me. I am trusting you. The remainder of this book contains little scraps of information that I was never able to piece together. I wish you the best of luck. My time is ending. _

_Fly you high, Warrior._

"Gregor? Are you alright?" Luxa said, looking down at her husband with concern.

They had returned from their journey only days ago, but it felt like the whole ordeal was a distant memory now. He shook his head and smiled reassuringly up at her.

"I'm fine. Just a lot on my mind." She patted his shoulder. His bond was still confined to the hospital, so his days had become a cycle of visiting the flyer for hours at a time and trying to keep up with his other duties.

He and Luxa were now full rulers of Regalia. The council had been disbanded, and the people were in relatively high spirits. They had a great deal of confidence in their new leaders. The alliance with the gnawers was becoming more solid by the day, and Ripred had even managed to negotiate peace between the gnawers and the nibblers.

Life was beginning to resemble normal. If nothing else, it was becoming routine and structured enough to be comforting. Every morning, Gregor would eat breakfast with Luxa. Afterward, she would go to the high hall to deal with the matters brought before her, and Gregor would go to the hospital to talk to his bond.

After a few hours, he would go to the training fields and help his old friend teach the younger teens various skills. That lasted two hours, and after that he would have lunch in the high hall with his wife and family. Next, he would proceed to his own training with his sister Lizzy and his old mentor Ripred.

Lizzy had become, of all things, an expert with a slingshot. Ripred had insisted, despite her mother's protests, that she must be able to defend herself. They had come to this compromise when Lizzy suggested the equivalent to a stone age tazer.

She could now put one of the wax blood-balls between any target's eyes at 30 yards, even if it was moving. She practiced daily, by ambushing her bond and her brother. The two ragers benefited as well. Their awareness of their surroundings, their reaction speed, and their self control improved rapidly.

Lizzy also began learning various other skills from Ripred. She was slowly picking up echolocation, although no one would allow her to lock herself in a dungeon for a week, which is what she wanted. She studied various languages with Hazard, when he wasn't acting as Howard's apprentice in the hospital.

The most remarkable change of all was in Nerissa. As soon as the group had returned from their journey, her health and mental stability had begun improving. She started eating regular meals, and even attending some mild physical training with Lizzy.

She told them her visions had stopped, and without them plaguing her, she was just like any other girl. It would take a while for her to look truly healthy, but she was getting a little better every day.

As was his bond. They still were a little fuzzy on exactly what had happened. After the battle with the Bane, Ares remembered he had been mortally wounded, and also remembered that Gregor had been as well.

"I saw the Bane rip open your chest, Gregor. You were dying as fast as I was. There is no way you could have survived that any more than I could have survived my throat being torn out. I could see your ribs." That had shocked more than a few of the listeners. They began going back over the prophecies.

_". . . OUR LIFE AND DEATH ARE ONE WE TWO."_

_HAS NEVER BEFORE RUNG SO TRUE._

"In the battle, we were both mortally wounded. We were killed together. But somehow, we both survived. Our life and death seem inseparable from each other." Gregor recited the next lines.

_THE WARRIOR, STRONG, HAS BEEN MADE WEAK._

_OF WHAT KILLED HIM, HE CANNOT SPEAK._

"I couldn't even bring myself to say his name after I left the underland. Or even after I returned. His death was what killed the warrior." Gregor looked up at his bond with a grin on his face.

_THE DEAD MUST RISE, TO FIGHT THE DEAD,_

_OR ALL THIS LAND WILL BE MADE RED._

"The Bane. The dead warrior must rise to fight the dead Bane, or he will kill everyone. That one is pretty straight forward now." Ripred spoke up.

_THE PATH OF WAR WILL SHOW THE WAY,_

_FOR LOST LIGHTS TO SHINE THIS DAY._

"We followed the 'Path of War' and found both the Bane and Ares, which seems to have brought Gregor back to life. Brought his lost light back, in a way." Twitchtip contributed.

_THE END IN SIGHT, A GHOST OF THE PAST,_

_WILL RAISE THE DEAD SO PEACE MIGHT LAST._

"Ares and the Bane could both be the ghost of the past, but the result is the same. They resurrected the warrior, so peace will last." Luxa held Gregor's hand as they continued.

_THE WARRIOR'S HEART, ONCE LOST TO ALL,_

_WILL BEAT AGAIN AT DESTINY'S CALL._

"That one is pretty straight forward too." Ripred stretched and yawned. "Lets hurry up and get through the other one before we head home." They went through the prophesy, filling in the obvious blanks, and finally ended with:

_WHEN THIS IS FINISHED, TWO ROSE FROM THE GRAVE._

_SWIFT DEATH ON WINGS AND THE ONE HE DIED TO SAVE._

"Ares and the Warrior have returned from the dead. Now, lets head home." Aurora had been in a bubbly mood since her mate had returned. Surprisingly, she didn't seem as shocked as the others. Perhaps the joy just outweighed any disbelief she felt.

"Oh! Six will go, though five are called, and seven will return!" Gregor looked at Luxa and grinned.

"Yeah, you're right! Did Nerissa know about this, do you think?" Luxa giggled.

"I have no idea. But at least we know who she meant now!"

They had a theory about what had happened. After he had lost consciousness, Ares had awoken in the pool of blood to find Gregor missing, and assumed he had been taken away for a proper burial. Knowing he would be killed for letting his bond die a second time, he had fled off into the tunnels and soon became very lost. He'd been living out there ever since.

The theory was, that it was the Bane's blood. Both Gregor and Ares had been drenched in it, including their wounds. In the prophecy room, chiseled in between a couple of larger prophecies, there was a short two line poem.

_RED FROM WHITE CAN BRING BACK LIGHT_

They were skeptical, but for lack of a better explanation, they accepted it as the most likely possibility and went about their lives. Ares was in bad shape, upon closer inspection. He was malnourished, dehydrated, and he was covered with scratches, fleas, and ash that matted his fur and blistered his skin.

They said he could be out of the hospital in three weeks. He was not happy. He'd been reunited with his bond and friends and wanted nothing more than to spend every day with them. But instead, he stayed were he was confined and made due with daily visits.

Ripred's spies kept them informed about the Bane's movements. He had sent a few trusted rats to infiltrate his army. It looked like they had a couple of months before the Bane would attack, and this time, they were confident they would win. Especially after a certain discovery they had made.

After they had slept, gone over the prophecies, and prepared to head out, Twitchtip informed them that the Bane's forces were camped in the tunnel below and that they would need a distraction in order to make it out.

"I think perhaps Gregor and I can handle that. It has been a while since I had the pleasure of flying as a whole, and I owe them for killing us both." Ares had stretched his magnificent wings and taken off, Gregor riding on his back with sword in hand.

"Let's show them who they're messing with Ares!"

"I agree!" The flyer dived into the flock of stunned rats like a giant black arrow. Gregor's sword made contact several times, but it was the bat that made the rats quiver in fear. They knew the Warrior was formidible, but they had never fought a truly enraged flyer, much less one so huge.

Ares latched onto one medium sized gnawer and launched into the air, flying at top speed and releasing it at the last moment. The rat's momentum carried it on a short trip into three other gnawers and then a very unforgiving stone wall. The rats rushed the flying pair, but met with claws.

"Hold on!" Ares said, and flapped his wings in a complicated pattern, spinning them at a high speed for a few moments. When he stopped, the rats had backed away and Gregor was a bit dizzy. "I learned that trick from you."

"Ares, you're a rager." Gregor said it as if he had know it all along. It felt like the most obvious thing in the world.

"No, i'm definitely not." Gregor grinned.

"Yeah, you definitely are. We'll ask Twitchtip."

"Very well."

After they had returned, Twitchtip had confirmed Gregor's suspicions. Ripred seemed to be less than thrilled he had yet another trainee.

With three ragers on their side, along with all the humans, flyers, crawlers, and a hefty majority of the gnawers, the Bane didn't stand a chance.

So much had happened in the short time since Gregor had returned to the Underland, it was unbelievable, and now there was a war coming. But it was far from the most worrisome thing on his mind.

Sandwich's journal. The coming darkness. It made his blood run cold. He hadn't told anyone yet. Not even Ripred, who he suspected already knew something, especially with his reaction to Atlantis.

He had some time. He had another six months before he turned seventeen. He'd cross that bridge after he killed the Bane.

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><p><em><strong>Part two will alternate between bits of Sandwich's diary to pieces of the current story.<strong>_

_**Read and Review!**_


	11. Plan

**_Author's Note - A bit of fluff to hopefully tide you over until i write another chapter..._**

**_**_Disclaimer - I own nothing. Well... I own my socks, but that's about it. The Underland Chronicles belongs to Suzanne Collins, and if you haven't already, you should go read the Hunger Games Trilogy as well. If the fantastic authoress herself should ever stumble upon this, she is welcome to it. Any part or whole of this story is hers for the taking, cause i'd love to see a sixth book._**_**

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><p><strong>Chapter 11 - Plan<strong>

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><p><em>"I don't know how i know, i just know that i know, you know?" - Koizumi<em>

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><p><em>I've been researching some legends about other ragers who have reached the third stage. One lived not so long ago. At least within written record. He is said to have come from the same place as the darkness. The legends say he was a warrior unlike any other. A monster in human form. Incapable of dying. Immortal.<em>

_But his immortality is not recorded as his great ability. It is said he had the power to know a man's soul. That he could look into you and truly see you. They called his ability the Power of Life, but that makes little sense to me. He vanishes from the record not long before the darkness returned to destroy them._

_Now I must wonder. Is there more, where this darkness came from? Where this rager of the past was born? If this place has vomited forth such great and terrible beings so far, what other catastrophe should we fear? And how do they come here? The secret must still lie hidden in this city._

_I have seen our future flickering. The enemy at your gate is not to be taken lightly. Your enemy knows your strength, and their confidence is no more misplaced than your own. Remember, the Bane is not entirely of this world. Not any more so than you. It's true nature has been revealed, though, where yours remains hidden._

_It carries life within it. _

Gregor closed the journal again and slid it into his pocket. The more he learned, the more anxious he became. How was he supposed to save the underland when he didn't even know what it was he was supposed to be fighting? This was almost too much for him. He was being told the fate of the world was in his hands, but he didn't know what he could do about it.

Before, he had always had something to fight. There was an enemy that threatened those he cared about, and he fought to protect them. But how could he fight an enemy so abstract as darkness? An enemy that had wiped out an advanced civilization, and was threatening to destroy their world?

He closed his eyes and sighed. What should he do? _"What's your plan?"_ He blinked. Of course. He needed a plan. He needed to think like Ripred had taught him. He knew that he had to deal with the Bane first. Sandwich had said not to take the Bane lightly, which he had been. No more of that. As soon as Ares was out of the hospital, the three of them would be training daily to prepare.

But what then? When the Bane was defeated, what then? He needed more information, and he needed to become stronger. After the Bane is dead, they would need to return to Atlantis. The answers, if they existed, would be found there.

Luxa entered the room, a glowing smile on her face. Gregor let his worries slide to the back of his mind and embraced her.

"You're in a good mood, what's going on?"

"Oh nothing of note. Simply in a good mood. Nerissa's health is continuing to improve. Hazard has decided to become a doctor. Your father has begun teaching. Apart from the Bane, there seems little to be unhappy about!" The young queen looked up at him. "You, on the other hand, seem to be under some stress. You need not worry so much about things outside of your control."

Gregor thought about her words, then shook his head.

"You know that is much easier said than done. Outside my control or not, it is my duty to protect Regalia and it's people. But, I'll try to relax. For you. Want to visit Ares with me? He is impatient to be released." Gregor extended his arm to his wife and she took it happily.

They made the trip to the hospital quickly and found Ares in high spirits.

"They say I will be able to leave tomorrow, so long as I do not get into any fights and I check in every other day!" The flyer was hopping from foot to foot in anticipation. Gregor grinned. He couldn't wait to be back in the air with his bond.

"That's great! I'll be here to meet you as soon as I can then!" Gregor barely ducked as a wax ball flew through the space his head had just occupied. Unfortunately, his bond had not moved, and now had a dripping red stain in the middle of his chest. He blinked in surprise as Lizzy giggled and came to apologize.

"I'm sorry, Ares! I thought he was too distracted to dodge that time!" Lizzy hugged the enormous black bat. Down the hall, where the girl had came from, followed Ripred, walking lazily up to the group.

"Don't you all spend enough time in the hospital when it is mandatory? Or have you just become so comfortable here that you decided to move in without injuries?" The rat stretched, then flopped down against the nearest wall. Lizzy sat on his shoulder. He sighed. "We're bonds and here you are treating me like furniture."

"Don't worry, Ripred. I'll be careful not to ruin the upholstery." The girl flicked the rat's ear teasingly. He chuckled.

"Ripred, I think we should begin preparing for the battle with the Bane tomorrow. Ares won't be able to do anything too extreme at first, but we can begin practicing moving as a team. Even three against one, he out weighs us twice over. We shouldn't assume he will be a push over." Gregor addressed his mentor. The rat nodded his approval.

"Starting to think like a leader. I'm impressed. Your right, no time like the present. My spies indicate the Bane's plans are moving ahead of schedule, and he may be ready to launch his attack in as little as two weeks." The rat looked at the young queen. "I would suggest you begin putting defenses in place. As of yet, the word is that the Bane is keeping the specifics of his plan very quiet. Only a few of his trusted advisers know what is to come, and we must be ready for anything."

"I'll be sure it is done. I shall call a meeting of our senior soldiers and work out a few plans, and I would be grateful for your insight if you would join us." Luxa invited the old rat. He nodded.

"I can't leave you humans to try and comprehend the minds of rats. You'd be hopeless without me. There better be food at this meeting." The queen squeezed her husband's hand, then walked away with the old rager.

Gregor was left standing with his bond and his sister.

"Oh, Ares! I have something you might have missed!" Gregor laughed as he pulled his necklace from beneath his shirt. He could not believe he had been putting it on every day and not thought to show his bond.

Ares looked from the dangling piece of material to his own claws, where one was missing. He began to laugh as well.

"I suppose I never really left you then, did I?" The bat stretched his impressive wings and could just barely touch both walls. Gregor shook his head.

"Nope. Never." He hung the claw back around his neck and took a seat beside the table as the flyer drew his wings back in. "Lizzy, you should probably stick with Ripred. Make sure he actually pays attention in that meeting and doesn't just eat all the shrimp."

The girl nodded, knowing he was trying to politely ask her to leave for a while. When she was gone, he turned to Ares.

"There is a bigger problem than the bane." Gregor pulled Sandwich's journal from his pocket. "Do you know where Regalia's library is? I need to dig up more information on something, but I don't want to worry Luxa just yet."

"I do, but you will have to worry me with this before I show you." Ares replied. Gregor grinned.

"Of course. I wasn't letting you out of this even if you wanted me to." He explained the details of what he had read as well as he could. The ancient city, the darkness that destroyed it, and the fact that it was on the verge of returning. He also told the bat about the legends about human ragers.

"That is troubling... You think Regalia's library will have anything that can help?" Ares asked.

"Maybe... I won't know until I check, but I can't run off to Atlantis right now to search for information, so I have to do what I can from here. It seems like a good place to start." Gregor said. His bond nodded his agreement.

"I've never been there, but know it is considered to be a maze of knowledge. It is a compilation of all the books and scrolls that have ever come into the possession of the underlanders, but it is not organized in any fashion. With all of the wars, few people have time to sit and sort a thousand years of history. It is entirely possible that the information you seek is in there, but unlikely that you will find it in this lifetime." Ares thought for a moment. "Actually... There might be a way. The nibblers are remarkable in their logic and desire for knowledge. They have sought a way to repay you and Luxa for fighting on their behalf, and this may be the perfect way to settle this debt."

"So, we have the nibblers sort the library, and give them full access to all the information inside? That might work. It would mean explaining the situation to at least one of them, which is a bit risky."

"I have known many nibblers and I know for a fact that they are loyal and discrete. They consider you a friend of their kind, so I believe you can trust them." Ares said. Gregor nodded. That was enough for him.

"In that case, I just need to speak to Luxa about launching this project. What think you?" He asked his bond.

"I think she is strong, and you should tell her now. She will be angry if you hide this from her. She will want to face this with you."

"You're right. I'll tell her everything this evening. We can start training tomorrow, and then begin the sorting process tomorrow evening." Gregor decided. Ares nodded his agreement.

"That sounds like a good plan. Ripred has taught you well." The bat fluttered to the bed he had been using. "How do you sleep on such things every night?"

"It must be because I have never tried hanging upside down." Gregor laughed. "I thought you would be used to the sleeping arrangements in here by now. It seems like one of us is always injured or something." It was true. The bat nodded sadly, then laughed.

"Go. Luxa will be waiting for you after her meeting, and I need to sleep, or they won't let me out tomorrow." Ares said. He extended his claw to his bond, who held it firmly before he left.

Gregor walked slowly through the palace, thinking about what exactly he was going to tell Luxa. Then another thought occurred to him. He would have to tell his parents soon. He had promised them, as part of the conditions for coming back here. They would not be happy. Especially his mother.

He found himself in the museum and looked over the shelves. It had been a while since he really looked through the stuff here. He found a dozen cell phones, all with no charge, and a small bucket of pennies and nickles. On another shelf were various pieces of junk that could be found in the pockets of hundreds of thousands of people on any street. Lighters, business cards, watches.

Then he spotted something else. A shelf of jewelry. There were dozens of earrings without and partners, but what caught his eye was a very simple but very beautiful ring. He grinned. He should have thought to come here before he and Luxa were married, but better late than never. He chose a second ring that matched the first in a larger size and took them both. He would have to explain the overland tradition to Luxa, but he was sure she would appreciate it.

When he reached their rooms, Luxa was already there, sprawled on the sofa as if she had been tossed there like a doll. Gregor slipped in quietly and slid the heavy curtain that divided their rooms from the hall closed. She turned her head to look at him and then sighed with relief.

"I was afraid you were here to drag me back into another meeting. Once everything is straightened out and put back in order, I am making a new council to help handle some of this. My mind is exhausted, and my body is restless..." The pale woman gracefully shifted to a sitting position and immediately slumped back down after Gregor sat beside her, her head resting on his leg.

"It will be alright. I know you can handle it. Think you can listen to a little more official business before you quit for the day?" Gregor ran his fingers through her hair, enjoying the soft strands flowing through his fingers.

"I imagine you will not allow me to say no." She stretched and looked up at him. He explained the details of the journal Ripred had given him, and the trouble it predicted was coming their direction. She listened intently to his plan to have the nibblers help him find any information in the Regalia library, and when he had finished, she flicked his nose. "You should have told me sooner, but thank you. I think you are right about the library. Vikus always lamented that we were unable to access the wealth of knowledge that was located so close by. He would have been overjoyed by this endeavor, regardless of the cause."

"I'm sorry I did not tell you sooner. I didn't want to give you more to worry about until it was necessary. Now I just have to tell my parents..." Gregor slouched slightly, not looking forward to that conversation.

"I'll come with you." Luxa said. "I want them to know neither of us are hiding things from them. It will be easier if they fully trust us both." She grinned and kissed him quickly. "Although they may feel more uneasy about anything we are both involved in, given our history. Picnics, in particular."

He laughed and returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer.

"I have another thing to tell you, but this one is personal. In the overland, when two people get married, they exchange matching rings as a physical symbol of their bond. I went to the museum today and found these." He pulled out the two rings, taking her hand and sliding the smaller one onto her finger. She took the larger and slid it onto his, mimicking his action. She inspected the ring on her finger. It was a simple silver band with intricate carvings. It matched her favorite crown.

"I love it." She leaned her head on his shoulder and pulled her legs up off the ground. Curled up like this, she seemed much smaller and more fragile than the fierce fighter and strong leader he knew she was. "Tell me about weddings in the overland."

"Well, traditionally, when a man asks a woman to marry him, he gets down on one knee and offers her a ring. If she accepts, then they're engaged. At the wedding, the woman wears a white dress, and the man wears a black suit, although some people change that to their own preference. They make their vows to each other, exactly like we did, and they exchange their rings." Gregor twisted the ring on his finger idly. "They have a party afterward, just like we did, too. Then they usually take a short vacation together."

"We didn't really have time for that part." Luxa adjusted herself to face him, sitting on his lap. "Although we did have an adventure together. Almost better than a vacation, for us." She grinned and nuzzled his neck. "Felt like when we were young."

"Younger. We're still young by most people's standards." Gregor put his hands on her hips, closing his eyes as he holds her close.

"You have not been a child for a very long time..." Luxa bit him playfully.

"If you two can keep your hands off each other for a moment, dinner is ready." Howard was leaning in the doorway, looking pointedly away from the pair on the sofa.

"You could knock, you know." Luxa almost growled at her cousin. The doctor laughed.

"And miss the opportunity to make you turn that impressive shade of red? Not a chance."

"We'll be there in a few minutes, Howard. Thanks." Gregor gave the man a pointed look. With another laugh, Howard walked out the doorway. "So, we have a few minutes before we have to go socialize, how should we spend it?"

"Well, I can think of something..." She grinned, kissing him softly. "But it may end up taking more than a few minutes..."

"I imagine Howard will understand..." Gregor stood up, lifting her easily and walking toward their bed room. Luxa giggled happily.

"Howard will NOT understand! Get out of there, you are not hoppers, you do not need to do this right now!" The annoyed voice from just outside the room made them jump. Gregor and Luxa looked at each other and sighed.

"Will he come in after us?" Gregor asked. Luxa seemed to think about it for a moment.

"He is a doctor, I believe he has lost all qualms about the human body. He will definitely come in after us, and probably drag us out by our ankles." Luxa kissed him again and then lowered her feet to the ground. "Let's get this over with so we can get back to more productive uses of our time." She took his hand and led them out of the room, swaying her hips teasingly in front of him for the first few steps.

Gregor enjoyed getting to see her as more than just a queen.

Dinner was uneventful. His father was happier than ever, finally teaching again. His mother had gotten used to life in the palace and had even made friends there. Boots was hyper and had lost interest in her food in minutes. Hazard looked tired, but satisfied. He must have just gotten out of the hospital when Howard had come to fetch them.

After dinner, Luxa and Gregor went to explain the development to his parents. His mother immediately began to panic, but his father calmed her before giving his own opinion.

"Have you considered talking to the other species? They may have history from the time period you are interested in that the humans do not." The man suggested. Luxa bounced slightly with excitement.

"Of course! We should have thought of that! The nibblers may have some records, but the crawlers have a very strong oral tradition. They know stories for hundreds if not thousands of years!" Luxa turned to Gregor. "This is your plan. What say you?"

"We should take advantage of every possibility. Lets talk to them tomorrow as well." Gregor nodded.

"Will you be safe?" Gregor's mother asked, her fists clenched tightly in worry.

"As safe as ever." Gregor promised. "Everything will be fine."

"I'll keep him out of too much trouble." Luxa intertwined their fingers. "Or follow him in."

"Experience indicates the latter." Gregor's father laughed and put a comforting arm around his wife. "Come on, Grace. They can handle this."

"Alright... I'm still going to worry though. You can't deny me that." She crossed her arms.

Gregor and Luxa finally made it back to their rooms. He took the journal from his pocket and dropped it on the table near their bed. He fell back and looked up at the carved stone ceiling. Luxa stretched out next to him, resting her head on his stomach.

"You are very lucky to have parents who care so much about you." She closed her eyes as his breaths shifted the makeshift pillow rhythmically. "It is like having a family of my own again."

"You _do_ have a family of your own again. When you marry someone, you marry their family as well. My parents are your parents. My sisters are your sisters. Hazard and Howard are my cousins." Gregor played with her hair, looking at the silver locks in the torch light.

"Thank you... We'll have our own family someday as well." She grinned and rolled over, sitting on his chest. "Little princes and princesses and warriors running around. Has boots realized she actually is a princess yet?"

"I don't think so, or I would not have heard the end of it yet." Gregor smiled up at her. "I'm not ready to be a father just yet, you know. Although, I wasn't ready to become a warrior either."

"And look how well you've done. Besides, becoming a father is not something anyone is really ready for until it happens." She leaned forward so her hair fell in a curtain around his head. "I think it is something that you should neither seek out nor avoid. Simply... Wait and see. And rise to the challenge when it arises."

"You make a very good argument..." Gregor rubbed her sides, blowing a strand of her hair out of his face. "Hoppers are rabbits, aren't they? I was a bit surprised that analogy is the same down here."

"What analogy?" She smirked down at him, fidgeting suggestively.

"Breeding like rabbits. Or hoppers, I suppose." Gregor leaned up and kissed her, then relaxed back on the bed.

"That seems unfair... We have not had any children yet. And we have not put much effort into doing so. Yet." Luxa picked up a ribbon off the nearby table and tied her hair back loosely. "But since we do not want to give him the wrong idea, there are really only two options."

"Oh? What two options?" Gregor kicked his shoes off, and slid the sheathed sword from his belt, setting it beside the bed, just within arms reach.

"Either we behave in such a way that he does not think as he currently does..." She leaned down, pressing her body flush against his. "...or we behave as he currently suspects."

"Do I have a choice, or have you already decided?" Gregor tugged the dagger from the back of her dress strap, laying it on the table as well.

"I think you can guess."

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><p>"So, at this rate, how long till they have an heir?" Ripred yawned. Lizzy shrugged and tried not to think about it. Howard sighed.<p>

"Probably under a year before we know for certain. Depending on how busy the war keeps them. She has been unable to so much as look at the man she was in love with for four years. I believe the medical term is 'repressed'" Howard said, reclining on the sofa in the room he was allowed full rights to while his family was not visiting.

"I'll say. Lucky we managed to get them married before she dragged him off. He worries about her enough as it is, if he is worrying about her and a child, it will take a lot of effort to keep him focused in battle. Overlanders have come up with a wide variety of countermeasures for this, but you people just cross your fingers and hope for the best." Ripred remarked. Howard kicked him.

"Countermeasures? Intimacy isn't a war. Besides, with all the wars, people are reluctant to risk children. There has never been a reason to prevent pregnancy before." The young doctor closed his eyes. "I'm too tired to worry about it now. Ripred, Lizzy, you go to the overland and steal some of these 'countermeasures' while I take a nap before my next shift."

"Yes, because a giant rat stealing condoms won't raise any suspicions... Besides trying to explain that to my parents if they caught me..." Lizzy cringed. "Nope. Not happening. We may as well accept it. We'll be baby sitters in the next two years, without a doubt."

"Great... I thought I was off duty after Boots grew up some, but no. Let me guess, as soon s their spawn are walking on their own, you'll be next." Ripred jabbed his tail at the girl who blushed intensely and glared at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have deadline on marriage like they did. I'm waiting till I am good and ready. Your pups can babysit."

"Uh-huh... No. My pups? In charge of small impressionable life forms? I don't think that is a good idea." Ripred laughed. "I should be getting back to them, anyway. Good night, Lizzy. Good nap, Howard."

"Good night!" The two humans called to the rat.

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><p><em><strong>Hope i don't take TOO long on the next chapter... <strong>_

_**Read and Review! It'll make this take less time! Especially if you have ideas to contribute.**_


	12. Enemy

_**Author's Note : Sorry this chapter took so long, and double sorry that it is so short. I've been busy with a summer internship, and just life in general. My focus has been on Bleach lately, but i decided i wanted to knock out this chapter tonight. It's now 4:30 in the morning... I have a rough idea of where i want to go with the story now. I think their is a real chance of it coming together now. I hope i have not disappointed everyone with this chapter. **_

**_Disclaimer : I own none of the things. None of them. Not even my socks any more._**

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><p><strong>Chapter 12 - Enemy<strong>

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><p><em>"He gives orders. I stab people. I think our roles are clear." - Lon'qu<em>

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><p>"You can cut that closer, try again!" Ripred shouted at the bat. Ares rolled his eyes and lifted to the edge of the cavern's ceiling once again, turning to launch himself at the ground at terrifying speed. Judging as well as possible, Ares opened his wings and pulled out of the dive at the last possible instant, the tips of his claws brushing the ground. "Better! Now do it upside down!"<p>

It was their fourth day of practice. They had taken up a cycle, with two fighting and one watching and directing. Ripred enjoyed his turn far too much. Ares whipped toward the ground again, this time pulling out in a spiral so close to the ground that Gregor had to flatten on his back to keep from being scraped off.

When Gregor and Ripred practiced together, it was a sight to see. Mareth had brought his class to watch the day before, and would almost certainly do so again today. Two ragers sparring was an event few ever got to witness.

"Alright, that's enough. Take a break!" Luxa shouted up to her husband and his bond. She had just come out of her last meeting for the day. Lizzy was beside her and they were both loaded down with food.

"Gregor, the women in your life are truly magnificent creatures. I hope you know how lucky you are!" The rat was already nosing through the food, looking for the shrimp that he knew his bond had brought for him.

"Remember those words next time you think about abandoning me in a meeting, or you will not taste shrimp again for months!" Luxa scowled at him, but Lizzy just grinned and held up the bowl he was searching for.

"Well, at least my bond isn't so heartless!" Ripred slouched onto his side, allowing the skinny girl to sit on his shoulder as they ate together.

Ares flapped gently as he approached the ground, doing his best not to send anything flying with the wind. Gregor jumped to the ground and executed a perfect tumble, coming up smiling in front of the acrobatic woman he had married.

"You're improving! Next you will have to try one of my twisty-flippy-things you are so in awe of." She teased him. They both knew that wasn't likely to happen. The pair sat on the soft moss of the field, back to back. "Aurora will be here soon, Ares. Apollo is helping Mareth in training today though."

"As expected. He is a strong flyer, and Mareth would be foolish not to take advantage of his abilities." Ares said proudly. He was still getting to know the son he had not met for the first four years of his life, but he could already tell the bat was going to be every bit as strong as he was.

"The nibblers are making excellent progress on the library, and they are adding their own knowledge as they go. Temp is aiding them, when he is not with boots. He does not know all of the stories of their kind, but he knows what crawlers to ask. Your plan was a good one." Luxa said to Gregor. He smiled at that. It was good to know they were making progress on some fronts.

"I hope it's enough." Ripred commented as he licked the bowl clean. "Will the two of you be staying for the rest of our practice?"

"Yes, we will. And I hope to steal my husband from you before you wear him out completely. The nibblers wish us to fly out and speak with their leaders in person at the Fount. Temp will be joining us as the other significant collaborator on our project with the library. We should be back in time for your training tomorrow." Luxa said to the large rat. "Ares, Mareth has requested I leave you to him for the rest of the evening. He wants you to help him teach Apollo some of your more advanced maneuvers and how you execute them so well at your size."

"I see..." Ares looked to his bond, and Gregor smiled and took his claw.

"Don't worry. Aurora will take care of us. Your son needs you tonight." The Warrior looked back to his wife. "Will anyone else be joining us?"

"Howard will be accompanying us. It has been almost a year since he visited his home. With Hazard learning to take on more responsibility in the hospital, he has the time off now to do so." The young queen shoved the golden ring around her forehead up a bit and then gracefully rose to her feet, offering a hand to Gregor. "Mareth approaches, with his class in tow. Let us see what you two can do!"

"You've already seen what we can do! Many times! You just want to cut our break short so you can drag the king off on some merry picnic to the Fount. Fine, fine, come on, Warrior." Ripred rolled to his feet lazily, then padded a few feet away from the others. Gregor followed and took his spot facing the older rager from ten feet away.

Gregor drew the dull sword they had been using for practice. It's weight and size were all wrong in his hand, but his rager blood compensated for the imbalance. As Ripred lunged at him, he smoothly swung the blade between them, flicking the tip out at his opponent's chest.

Ripred's claws struck the flat of the blade, knocking the tip off course, then spun. His tail lashed out and snapped an inch from Gregor's face while his back claw raked across the young warrior's shins, only to meet the edge of the blade and Gregor caught the tip of the tail with ease.

Gregor used the advantage of his grip on the tail, dropping his fist to the ground and stepping on the tail as he spun around the sword and delivered a solid kick to the rat's shoulder, stopping his motion and buying him time to tug his sword from the ground and swing again.

They went on and on, lashing out at each other with weapon and body faster than many eyes could follow. After several minutes, Ripred slumped to the ground again, breathing heavily, but laughing.

"You've improved, Warrior. But you won't be fighting another rager. I think it's about time we asked Lapblood to help with your training. Tomorrow, I'll have her bring half a dozen of her best and see how you do against them, so don't go wasting your precious hours of sleep while you're out." Ripred stretched and relaxed on the moss. "You know, I may just stay here tonight. This field is as soft as the bedding I have been using in the palace."

"The pair of you were as incredible as before. I have seen you both fight numerous times, but even so, I could hardly follow the match. When this business with the Bane is finished, I hope you will both share some of your experience with my students." Mareth said, walking over to speak with his friends once he had dismissed his class.

"I don't have much experience yet, really..." Gregor protested.

"Idiot. Do you know how rare it is for someone to survive as many battles as you have? Soldiers like Mareth and Perdita are not average. They are the elite, and you have nearly matched them in experience in less than two full years of active battle. You may not realize it until you watch them in training, but you will find you have much wisdom to pass on." Ripred poked Gregor in the head with the tip of his tail, not even rising to look at him.

"He speaks the truth, Gregor." Luxa offered him a hand up onto Aurora, who had arrived soon after the sparring match had started. "We are to meet Howard and Temp in the high hall. Come."

Gregor took a moment to grasp Ares' good claw before climbing up behind Luxa.

"Fly you high, Warrior." Ripred said from his position on the moss.

"Run like the river, Ripred." Gregor wrapped his arms around Luxa and held on as they took off.

They landed in the high hall just as Howard and Temp arrived. With three humans and a crawler, Aurora would be at full capacity, so they were bringing only what was necessary. A flashlight each for Howard and Luxa, and four bottles of water.

"Cousins!" Nerissa greeted them warmly, joining them as they were preparing to set off. "Do not forget these!" She handed Gregor's broken sword, Luxa's ornate dagger, and Howard's first aid kit up to them. "Even on a peaceful mission, it is a time of war and you must not be unprepared."

"Thanks, Nerissa." Gregor slid the practice sword from his hip and replaced it with his sword. He had forgotten that the weight at his side was not his own lethal blade, but little more than a sword shaped piece of metal.

"Be safe, cousins." Nerissa waved to them, smiling slightly, as Aurora left the high hall and set out toward the Fount.

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><p>"Let us rest here, Aurora. You have been flying for far too long with such a load. Our meeting is not until the morning, and the nibblers will forgive our tardiness." Luxa ran her fingers through her bond's golden fur soothingly. The bat landed without objection, allowing her riders to disembark before she collapsed in a snoring lump near the wall. Temp, who had already been sleeping, merely settled beside her and continued his nap.<p>

"I believe I shall rest as well. I just got off a double shift when I joined you." Howard stretched and then leaned against the sleeping bat and closed his eyes. Luxa and Gregor walked a few yards down the tunnel and then sat back to back.

"Gregor, it feels better than I would like to admit to be out of Regalia like this again. It is just like when we were going off on a picnic before you left." Luxa smiled as she intertwined her fingers with her husband's.

"You do remember that our last picnic was a complete catastrophe, right Luxa?" Gregor laughed, leaning his head on her shoulder. "But I know what you mean. The last few weeks... It's been calm, peaceful, and a nice break, but I've been feeling anxious for the coming battle. Maybe I really am a warrior at heart..."

"I have known since you bonded with Ares that you were a warrior at heart. Had you not been, would we have ever fought side by side? Grown close as friends? Fallen in love? Married each other? It is hard to say. But for what it is worth, I am glad your heart is that of a warrior."

"I hated it at first... I hated the idea that I was meant to fight and kill when I hated violence so much... But it isn't really what I thought it was. I am not a warrior to kill. I am a warrior to protect. I am glad I have the heart of a warrior, too." Gregor let his free hand stray to the hilt of his sword and ran his fingers over the worn wood, steel, and leather.

"Some would be happier if you did not possess the heart of a warrior. I have been sent to cut it out of your chest. Do excuse me, your highness." A voice from the shadows addressed them calmly. Gregor leaped to his feet in an instant, his rager side flaring to life and immediately registering the body he should have seen long before it spoke.

"Who are you?" Luxa flipped the switch on the flashlight she had pulled from her belt and aimed it at the voice. To her shock and horror, rather than a rat, she found a man, armed with a gleaming sword. A man with translucent skin, like hers. A man she knew. "Henry?"

"It has been a while, hasn't it, cousin? Five years, I believe. Why are you so shocked? The dead seem to be popping up all over the place, why do I not get the feasts and celebrations that a rat, bat, or Overlander receive?" The pale man lunged at her, sword aimed at her heart, only to be knocked aside by the younger warrior who stepped between them.

"If you touch her, I will kill you myself. You betrayed her. You betrayed all of Regalia. Do you have any idea how many hearts you damaged with your betrayal?" Gregor leveled his own blade at the traitor. "I doubt you care... So, what is it you plan to do now? A repeat of history? Strike a deal with a strong ally against your own people and then... what? Rule over us all? That did not work out so well for you last time!"

"The deal has already been struck. I have learned echolocation, living in the Dead Lands with my new allies. I have learned to fight on the level of a rager from them as well. So let me tell you this now. I will kill your family. Your wife, your sisters, your parents. And last of all, and with the greatest enjoyment, I will slaughter that worthless Flier that let me fall. Then, when everything you love in this world is gone, I will kill you as well." Henry grinned, his face twisted like a mad man.

"Henry, don't do this!" Luxa shouted, but made no move to step between the two men. She knew Gregor would never kill unless it was to protect, and she knew she would only be ensuring Henry's death if she threw herself into danger at his hand. "Just leave! You have survived this long! Why antagonize what is already in the past? Oh, Henry, you fool! You should have remained dead!"

"Ha! If only! I didn't really get any say in the matter! My allies tell me that death is not so permanent as it once was. The walls that separate life and death are crumbling, but you already know that, don't you? The difference between us, Overlander, is that my allies know how to take advantage of it, and you do not." Henry made an experimental lunge, but did not follow up when it was easily knocked aside again.

"Who are these allies of yours?" Gregor tapped his foot, listening to the echo and confirming that Henry was alone. "You seem to have great faith in them. You believed Gorger was going to raise you to a king as well. Are you sure your faith is not misplaced once again?"

"This is not a matter of faith. They brought me back to life! Do you know what an exhilarating feeling it was, as my mangled corpse peeled itself off the stones and my long-still lungs gasped for air once again! My allies do not require faith! Faith is for the intangible! I have seen their power with my own eyes, and I am walking proof!" Henry laughed and then went silent, listening carefully. A groan sounded from down the tunnel. "Ah, it seems our dear cousin Howard has met his fate. I must bid you farewell for now. I will see you both again, when I come to kill Luxa in the night. You will awake with her blood flowing like a river."

"Howard!" Luxa shouted for her cousin, sprinting down the tunnel toward the three other members of their party. Henry's grin expanded to comical proportions, then he turned and ran. For a moment, Gregor hesitated, torn between the desire to help Howard, and the desire to pursue Henry. Luxa's strangled cry tore his attention from the fleeing man and brought him running to her side.

"Gregor, he's bleeding! Help me save him!" Luxa had her hands pressed to her cousin's neck, desperately trying to stop the blood from flowing between her fingers.

"G-Gregor... My bag... Black bottle..." Howard winced as the words were forced past his torn throat. Gregor grabbed the bag and dumped it's contents, looking for the black bottle in the light of Luxa's flashlight. He found it, and gently pulled Luxa's hands from the wound to sprinkle the powder over the opening. It hissed audibly on contact, but within seconds the blood had clotted and hardened.

"He'll be okay, Luxa... I think he'll be okay now... Luckily, he's a good enough doctor to save even himself." Gregor patted his friend's shoulder, then sat heavily and leaned against the wall next to him. "Temp, Aurora, are you both unharmed?"

"Yes, but we were useless in protecting him." Aurora said with a hint of despair. "In a war with the dead, the Bane, and three ragers, is there any place for the rest of us? Or are we just a weakness? An obstacle that will slow down our friends?"

"Fight, we will, fight! Even if we be weak!" Temp said firmly.

"Temp's right. You have as much to protect as anyone. But you are not weak. Our enemies are beyond our understanding..." Gregor handed a bottle of water to Luxa to wash the blood from her hands. "The walls between life and death are crumbling... Is that how Ares and I are alive?"

"Maybe so... Maybe the Bane's blood was only a part of it... Or maybe it is the cause of it... Hopefully such things will become clear, in time. But we must get to the fount, then back to Regalia. It is dangerous to delay reporting this any longer than necessary." Luxa held on to her bond's claw for a moment before moving to stand next to her husband and cousin.

"Return to Regalia, we should, return to Regalia." Temp said. Howard nodded.

"Temp is right..." The doctor croaked out, grimacing in pain.

"We must reach the Fount and warn them of what we know. Howard has family there that could be targeted. And we promised the nibblers a meeting. There is a lot of ground both directions." Gregor considered for a moment, then a thought occurred to him. "We have to return. Luxa, we have to go back now! Nerissa!"

"Oh Gregor... Aurora, can you make it back?" Luxa turned to her bond and received a silent nod. "Howard, you will ride behind Gregor and Temp will ride behind you to ensure you do not lose your grip... We will return to the Fount as soon as we can, but we must-"

"I know. Get to Nerissa." Howard breathed, interrupting her. The four of them mounted the golden bat quickly and set off for Regalia.

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><p>"You did very well, human. They will not reach the Fount for days now. Plenty of time." A purr from the darkness said.<p>

"I enjoyed it! Is he dead? Howard?" Henry asked.

"No, they reached him in time to stop the bleeding. But it does not matter. They will all die in time. The Bane will strike soon, with luck it will be while they are in Regalia. That will buy us time to reach Atlantis. The Bane will die, and the Regalian army will be weakened. Their three ragers will fall in the attack, and then there is nothing that can even slow us down." The voice purred again.

"Why are the ragers such a concern? Surely you are strong enough to beat them?" Henry asked.

"Their fighting skill is not the concern. What sets a rager apart is their soul. They are marked. On their soul is the mark of the Scythe. The dead can not kill them, and those they kill can not be raised by any power. But they are ignorant of this power. They will willingly sacrifice themselves for those they love because they believe others can fight in their place. Their ignorance will mean the end of the reign of the living. Those of us who bare the mark of the hour glass will rule."

"If the dead can not kill a rager, how will I have my vengeance on my former bond and the Warrior?!" Henry demanded.

"By killing those they hold most dear. Their deaths will be trivial in comparison to the pain you will cause them."

The source of the voice stirred, slinking out of the shadows and in to the flickering torch light of the palace. Around them, the ruins of the Fount smouldered, the ground littered with the corpses of Nibblers, Fliers, and humans alike. The purring rose as a panther-like cat flicked it's tail in satisfaction. Around the room, dozens of enormous feline beasts prowled, occasionally stopping to chew strips of flesh from their victims.

"What lies in Atlantis, then?" Henry asked. After five years, the panthers no longer caused his skin to crawl.

"Long ago, the barrier was crumbling. The armies of the dead began to push through. One foolish soul, who carried the mark of the Scythe, sealed them away by sacrificing his people. But he missed something. He allowed his son to live and escape to the Overland. His son carried the Scythe. And as long as the Scythe exists in this world, the barrier will slowly crumble, time and time again. Where Reapers roam, the dead follow." The panther said calmly. "In Atlantis, we will destroy the barrier, and the dead will rise. We marked with the Hour Glass are like the other side of the rager coin. The dead can not kill us either. But we can raise the dead as long as the barrier remains in ruins."

"And if the ragers all die at the hands of the Bane? What then?" Henry leaned against a wall, turning the head of one of the corpses to examine the face. It had been one of his cousins. Not Stellovet, though. Chimney. The youngest. He grinned. If only he could be here to hear Howard's cries of anguish. It would be musical.

"If they all die, then the barrier will begin to strengthen itself again. That is why we must destroy it completely as soon as possible. If we undo what the rager did so many centuries ago, then our power will be the only power that matters. The dead will kill the living, and we shall raise who we want to raise. We will rule, and the Dead Lands will cover the world."

"When do we leave?" Henry grinned. The sooner they left, the sooner he could get his revenge.

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><p><em><strong>So... Read and Review!<strong>_


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